How to Give Feedback to a Green—but Think Twice Before You Do
Erikson describes people he calls Greens as sensitive to criticism and sometimes self-critical without acting on it. The excerpt introduces feedback advice but does not include the promised methods.
THE IDEA
How to Give Feedback to a Green—but Think Twice Before You Do
Erikson introduces his feedback advice in a conversational passage:
This is the section I would rather skip. Why? you may be wondering. Simple. Criticizing a Green can be cruel. They will feel bad and will simply withdraw and shut down. In general, they have weaker egos and can often be very self-critical. You don’t want to increase this burden even more.
It’s important to note that there is a difference between being self-critical and changing and being self-critical and not doing anything about it. Many Greens roam through life wishing that things were different. But they rarely have the drive to do anything about it. So they continue to be dissatisfied. Sometimes I think that’s an end in itself, not to be satisfied. It’s a way to get some attention, to gain some power. I know many Greens who control everything and everyone in their families by simply refusing to do anything whatsoever. Psychologists call this being passive-aggressive—a very apt expression.
The specific feedback methods introduced by this passage are not included in the excerpt.
When to use it
When giving performance reviews to a sensitive employee.
Discussing an unresolved responsibility with a family member without assuming why they have not acted.
When coaching a student who is overly self-critical and lacks motivation.
When managing a team with diverse personality types, especially Greens.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Feedback at Work
A team member misses deadlines and withdraws during critical discussions. A manager might ask about obstacles and offer specific support. This is an illustrative approach, not one of the missing methods from the excerpt.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Think of someone who withdraws during critical discussions. How might your usual feedback style affect the conversation?
How can you distinguish between self-critical behavior that leads to change and self-criticism that leads to inaction?
What alternative approaches could you use to provide constructive feedback to someone with a Green personality?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Surrounded By Idiots (Thomas Erikson)