Summary

The author reflects on the importance of providing constructive feedback when ending professional relationships, emphasizing its role in personal and professional growth.

Abstract

The article discusses the author's decision to end a year-long collaboration and the importance of doing so in a constructive and respectful manner. The author highlights the value of providing detailed feedback on both the positive and negative aspects of the collaboration, emphasizing that this approach not only helps those providing the services refine their skills but also benefits those who received the services. The author argues that open and precise analysis of what didn't work is the best source of improvement and encourages a positive feedback culture in society.

Opinions

The author believes that abrupt and conflictual terminations of professional relationships are never good and leave only anger and frustration.
The author emphasizes the importance of acknowledging what worked in a collaboration and how it contributes to the preservation of self-esteem and self-confidence.
The author suggests that the most significant opportunities for learning and mutual personal and professional growth come from an open and precise analysis of what didn't work in a collaboration.
The author encourages the adoption of a positive feedback culture in society, where everyone provides constructive feedback on their experiences.

Navigating Endings with Constructive Feedback for a Better World

How much less anger and frustration would be, and how much positive energy!

Image generated by the author using Microsoft Bing Image Creator

As December unfolds, a true chill sets in here in Bologna, marking the end of a gentle and warm autumn. The first signs of holiday decorations appear on balconies, streets, and shopping centers.

However, December is also a time for reflection, especially in the professional realm. It’s the season for evaluating the year’s progress and deciding whether to continue or conclude some collaborations.

This week, I, too, decided to end a partnership with a collaborator I’ve been working with for almost a year.

Often, the termination of professional relationships, whether between employer and employee or client and supplier, happens abruptly and, at times, even conflictually.

Those receiving the services are upset and worried, thinking the investment made in the collaboration hasn’t yielded the expected returns. Conversely, those providing the services are also angry and concerned because they’ll no longer have the financial support they relied on.

Yet, abrupt and conflictual terminations of professional relationships (in reality, any personal relationship) are never a good thing. They leave only anger and frustration for those involved and pour negative energy into the world.

Mindful of this, I communicated the end of our collaboration by providing constructive feedback with openness and transparency. I offered a detailed illustration of the reasons behind my decision, highlighting what worked and what didn’t.

Yes, because something worked. Something always works, and it’s crucial to emphasize that.

Those who provided the services know the value they could deliver and can work on refining and enhancing those strengths. Additionally, this helps preserve self-esteem and self-confidence.

But it’s also essential for those who received the services to be aware of what worked, serving their self-esteem as well. Hiring someone or initiating a collaboration is an investment for an entrepreneur; if the collaboration fails, it’s also a setback for them.

However, the most significant opportunities for learning and mutual personal and professional growth come from an open and precise analysis of what didn’t work.

If this analysis is conducted seriously and devoid of emotion, it becomes the best possible source of improvement.

Whether we’re employees or service providers receiving constructive feedback in a professional context, let’s pause and reflect. Consider that someone is genuinely interested in our work to the extent that they are willing to pay for it. Moreover, this someone respects us enough to invest additional time (which equates to money in the business world) to explain how we can improve.

In summary, someone has spent money to tell us how to improve. This someone should be listened to with attention and gratitude.

I can attest that some of the best ideas for improving my product, bibisco, have come from people who did not purchase it at the end of a free trial because a specific feature was missing. These individuals have significantly contributed to the product’s growth, and inevitably, once the feature was implemented, they became customers.

Now, imagine if this positive feedback culture becomes an integral part of our society. Spreading like a positive virus, where everyone, in every interaction with others at work, in a shopping mall, or while engaging in sports, provides constructive feedback on their experience.

How much less anger and frustration would be, and how much positive energy!

When we are aware, every action, even the end of a working relationship, can contribute to making the world a better place.

What do you think? Have you ever experienced the end of a working relationship as an opportunity for growth and improvement? Let me know in the comments!

I’m Andrea from Bologna, Italy. I write about life, beauty, empathy, and lessons learned. To see my stories pop up on your feed, I’d love for you to follow me (Andrea Feccomandi). And, to have stories sent directly to you, subscribe to The Warm Lasagna, my weekly newsletter.

Originally published at https://warmlasagna.substack.com.