A helpful analogy about feedback comes from Liz Wiseman in her book Impact Players. She likens feedback to a violin, which requires tuning every time it is played. Violinists tune their instruments at each concert by aligning them with a tuning fork until the instrument and pitch are perfectly in sync. The supervisor’s or organizational goals become that tuning fork, giving the employee a reference point.
“Feedback is simply information to help the recipient recalibrate,” she writes. “When we operate like a musician who is continually tuning their instrument, the beneficiaries of our work don’t need to tell us we are out of tune.”
Everyone expects violinists to tune every day, relying on the tuning fork as an essential tool. This allows them to develop a keen ear to detect subtle misalignment and adjust accordingly. High performers should act like violinists and do the same.
Source: Impact Players by Liz Wiseman, 2021, p. 143-145
