Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well

Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen, authors of Difficult Conversations, address how to receive feedback effectively. People encounter feedback constantly from bosses, colleagues, customers, family, and friends, yet often dread and dismiss it despite knowing it matters for relationships and professional growth. Receiving feedback creates tension between two competing desires: the wish to learn and improve, and the wish to be accepted as we are. This book directly addresses that conflict, explaining why feedback is both crucial and challenging. It provides a framework for approaching evaluations, advice, criticism, and coaching with curiosity and openness. Stone and Heen argue that organizations spend enormous resources teaching people to give feedback, but the real opportunity lies in educating receivers—both in workplaces and personal relationships. Drawing on ten years of work with businesses, nonprofits, governments, and families, they combine insights from neuroscience and psychology with practical guidance to identify what helps people learn and what creates obstacles.