I’ve always had mixed feelings about reviews in general. Hear me out:
- I don’t know of a single creative person (writer, artist, director etc.) who has said the Amazon/IMDB/media reviews or other random people’s opinions have made them great at what they do.
- I haven’t met a single high-performing employee/team member/professional confessing that the quarter/half-yearly/annual performance reviews turned them into highly productive and effective individuals.
- I am yet to meet an employee who refuses to join a company despite being offered an industry-leading salary package due to a 2-star Glassdoor review by a bunch of former employees.
Have you ever pondered on the aspects above? I have, for many years. And I don’t believe reviews matter if the improvement is one of your main agendas. Sure, they can help you validate your ideas or work, but that doesn’t have to do with how well you can improve.
Seeking feedback and validation are two different things. I would instead seek genuine feedback from people who know and care about what I do than random folks who haven’t a clue what drives me.
What do you think?