I saw a piece that started, “Negative Feedback hurts.”

I’ve always been of the opinion that there is no such thing as “negative feedback.” The speaker may be telling me something I don’t care to hear or disagree with but the fact that the person is telling me these things is a gift. If it’s my manager, she’s doing her job and while nobody likes hearing where they may have fallen short or need to improve, I need to consider this as Constructive Feedback and say, “Thank you” and determine how to use this gift.

If I decide that the feedback is “negative”, it’s too easy for me to ignore. If someone is being malicious, okay, that’s slander or gossip, not feedback. Feedback is meant to improve or at least contribute to the improvement.

When someone offers you feedback, will you be willing and ready to accept the gift? I hope so, because they’re doing you a favor. As Ben Franklin said, “Love your enemies for they shall tell you all your faults.”

Only the best,
Ron

Well, not exactly. A recent study at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that men raised in a single parent household led by their mother were at a particular disadvantage in terms of education and employment. Studies have shown that these men were less likely to have attended and completed college, therefore putting them at a distinct disadvantage in a job market that increasingly demands that employees have at least a bachelor’s degree and often more.

The impact of less education and therefore lower level jobs becomes a vicious and repeating cycle. There is substantial disagreement on whether  the reduced fortunes of men raised in single parent households is causal or casual, but additional study on the impact is underway. The declining prospects for men in the workplace, the past several years are often referred to as a “man-cession,” is one of the most puzzling and disturbing recent trends.

Here’s a link to the full article as it appeared in the NY Times:
Study of Men’s Falling Income Cites Single Parents
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/business/economy/as-men-lose-economic-ground-clues-in-the-family.html?emc=eta1