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Feedback Communication Responsiveness

Our manager is planning on implementing some changes in the operations and structure of our department, and he asked for our thoughts on his ideas. I wrote a careful analysis, and so did several others in the department. They all received thanks and comments back from the manager, but I heard nothing. Should I ask him what he thought or just forget about it?



Your manager's interest in the employees' thoughts is a good sign, but his selective responsiveness could be a caution sign. On the one hand, your manager may have become very busy as he was about to respond to you, or perhaps he believes that you are a person who does not need much feedback. At the same time, maybe he did not appreciate your comments, or maybe he does not appreciate you,

You should think about your overall working relationship with him and try to pinpoint the source of your reluctance to simply ask him what he thought about your comments. You may be reading far more into this situation than is warranted.

If you really want this feedback but do not want to sound insecure or dependent when asking for it, simply ask him if he received your write-up. This is a confident approach, and you are not asking for any validation. His response is likely to give you insight into his opinion of your comments, as well as insight into his opinion of you.




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