Tell people when their work changed the decision

Growth · Little Light original

A colleague is asked to analyse a choice. She studies the history, challenges an assumption and sends a recommendation. Weeks later, she notices that the organisation took a different path. Nobody returns to explain whether her work mattered, so she is left guessing which part was useful and what judgment she should carry into the next assignment. Close the loop. Tell her what the work clarified, where the decision departed from it and which new information entered the room. If her recommendation changed the outcome, say so. If it did not, respect the effort enough to explain why. Feedback after a decision teaches more than another request made without context. People grow when they can see the relationship between their thinking and the choices around them. Not every good analysis will be followed, but it should not vanish into silence. A short, honest return turns completed work into experience. It tells someone that their judgment was received, and shows them how to make it stronger the next time responsibility arrives.

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