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By PASCAL FINETTE

The Heretic is a free dispatch delivering insights into what it takes to lead into & in the unknown. For entrepreneurs, corporate irritants and change makers. Raw, unfiltered and opinionated.

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Feb 14th, 2013 Share: Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Brutal Intellectual Honesty

Feedback is crucial. Getting good feedback from peers and mentors is invaluable for your personal growth — and the growth of your company.

When seeking out feedback always request brutal intellectual honesty.

You want feedback which is to the point, sharp and completely free of any fluff. Don’t let people lull you into the sandwich-technique where they mask a bad message with some positive notes. This will be hard — nobody likes to hear that their product sucks. But if you don’t hear it from your peers, friends or mentors I can guarantee you that the market will deliver the message loud and clear.

The best mentors will not worry about hurting your feelings — as they know that you will not take their feedback personal but understand that they want to help you make things better. Seek those people out and surround yourself with them. They will push you. They will show you flaws and mistakes. They will say things you wish you wouldn’t need to hear. But in the end they will make things so much better.

I go for brutal intellectual honesty any day over someone who is nice and doesn’t want to hurt my feelings. Remember: This is not about ego but about building things.


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