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My boss in Austin told me my reports were 'unreadable data dumps' and now I start every one with a three-bullet summary.
Has anyone else had a manager give you feedback that actually made you better at your job, even if it was delivered harshly?
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stellac974mo ago
The three bullet summary thing is smart. I had a boss who told me my presentations were "just walls of text nobody can follow" so I started putting the key takeaway at the top of every slide. Saved me so much time re-explaining stuff later. Sometimes harsh feedback is just someone finally being honest instead of letting you keep doing dead end work.
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grant.luna6mo ago
Got a manager years ago who told me my emails read like ransom notes. Started using complete sentences and actual greetings, and suddenly people stopped asking me to repeat myself. Harsh feedback usually means they've hit their limit trying to decode your work. That "unreadable data dump" line is brutal, but now you're giving them the cheat sheet first. Sometimes the delivery is crap, but the point sticks.
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susan766mo ago
What if the problem is their limit, not your work? Some people just don't want to put in the effort to read. Calling something an "unreadable data dump" feels like a them problem, not a you problem. I've seen folks get praised for being "direct" while others get torn down for the same style. Maybe the cheat sheet just trains them to be lazy. Harsh delivery often means they're bad at giving feedback, period.
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