Feedback is Feed-boon

Feedback is Feed-boon.

As hard as it is to give or receive, feedback is a gift—a focused signal, packed with intent, directed solely at you. It offers a rare window into how others perceive you—something you’d never see unless they chose to reveal it.

I treat feedback as a spectrum of signals: words spoken, gestures in the room, reactions and silences, who responds to what and with what intensity. If you observe closely, it all means something.

People who root for you stand out. People who challenge you, even more. In your circle of influence, sponsors and skeptics are both visible—if you’re willing to look.

In a noisy world, feedback is clarity. I’m deeply grateful for it—pleasant or unpleasant. In fact, the unpleasant kind often matters more. It speaks to what’s unsaid, what’s uncomfortable, what’s avoided. That’s where the truth lives.

I filter every piece of feedback:

• Is it a signal or just noise?

• If it’s signal, is it strong or weak?

• If strong, is it pleasant or unpleasant?

• If unpleasant, what’s it really telling me?

• Is it assumed, or explicitly stated?

• Is it a one-off or a repeating pattern?

Sometimes people won’t say they disagree with you. They just amplify what they like less, hoping it fades away. It’s not praise for something else—it’s protest against your path. That’s misalignment. In safe spaces, people will tell you what’s not working. That’s gold.

Humans are wired to avoid feedback. But we’re also wired to leak it. You’ll see it in body language, Slack replies, meeting silences—it’s hard to hide biology. So if you’re truly open, feedback is everywhere. It is, indeed, feed-boon.

Over time, I’ve become more objective with feedback. I question my assumptions. I don’t flinch from the murky, messy, cryptic bits. What’s visible is often just the tip of the iceberg. I live between what and so what—the zone of inquiry.

Only after examining the signal deeply, I decide: accept or ignore. But I owe it that curiosity. When you wear a researcher’s hat in the theatre of human behavior, it’s fascinating. You learn a lot. Try it. It helps.