Feedback: "A work in progress"

Over on tribe there is a discussion going on about soliciting feedback, and how to get honesty out of people rather than always having smoke blown up your patoot by well-meaning friends and family. Fariha has fantastic, almost obvious, advice that I am going to implement IMMEDIATELY:

"They might be more honest if you show it to them as a work in progress. For example, take some girls getting ready to go out on the town together. If I ask my friend about an outfit and I have something else to change into she'll tell me if it won't work BEFORE I wear it in public and save me the embarrassment. But if we're already out she won't embarrass me by bringing it up."

Three cheers for Fariha! Not only does this place our would-be critics in the right frame of mind, it also puts US in the right frame of mind to receive it. If we think of our work as a work in progress all the time, then we are open to criticism to help us develop it over time. I love this!