Feedback: American Idol Style

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Cristos Vasilas
  • 571st Global Mobility Readiness Squadron commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Another season of American Idol is behind us and, as I lament a summer devoid of bad singing and even worse hairdos, I feel the need to reflect on this past season.

Yes, I'm not afraid to admit, like millions of other Americans, my family and I enjoy this particular flavor of reality TV. What I enjoy most is the interaction of the contestants with the judges.

Having no musical talent myself, I more easily identify with the judges and even without my wife's assent, I will readily pronounce my judgment and provide feedback to the contestants.

It was during one of these unsolicited 'feedback' sessions that I wondered what Air Force feedback would be like given the disparate styles of the American Idol judges.

Imagine the three judges giving feedback on how well a pilot flew an approach and landing: Randy Jackson "yo-yo dog ... I'm just trying to keep it real here, it wasn't good. It was too pitchy in parts. I don't know man..."

Or Paula Abdul "first, you look great in that flight suit and I really like the boots ... it wasn't the way I would fly the approach, but you did the best you could with it."

Finally, my favorite Simon Cowell, "it was absolutely horrible; I'll tell you what it was like ... it was like watching an spastic chimp trying to fly an airplane ... your crosscheck was slow, you obviously don't know what throttles are used for ... you need to..." [censors cuts off the rest].

Each of the judges approaches feedback differently as do those of us in supervisory roles. Which is the better method? If you were to judge the judges feedback based on the audience reaction, you would conclude that Paula's soft, gentle feedback is the way to go.

Focus on the positive and acknowledge that the individual is doing their best. The audience also approves of Randy's feedback because he sometimes laces his colloquialisms with gems of useful information. The audience rarely favors Simon when he is being critical of a contestant but roars approval when he provides positive feedback.

If you watch the contestant carefully however, you will notice that they are more interested in Simon's feedback because they know he doesn't hold back and gives his honest assessment of their performance.

The contestants understand what the audience does not: consistently honest and constructive feedback is more important than irrelevant facts about one's appearance or non-constructive feedback sprinkled with "you da bomb." They also know that positive feedback from Simon will likely result in their return the following week. Simon has credibility with the contestants.

So what can we learn about feedback from American Idol? When it comes to providing your troops feedback, it is less important what anyone else, (the audience), thinks and more important to be honest and consistent. It also helps to provide constructive feedback so that your Airmen can use that information to improve their next "performance."

Finally, if you are willing to call bad performance for what it is, your positive feedback will carry more weight.

So, are you a 'Paula' or a "Simon?"