The Feedback That Matters May Not Be About Your Technical Skills

Kenneth Townsend remembered feedback that stayed with him long after the original conversation. It was not primarily about his technical capability.

During his Fireside Chat appearance, he described colleagues in consulting who pulled him aside and told him where his work needed to improve. The subjects included leading teams, showing urgency, understanding the business and working with stakeholders. Those conversations helped him become a better consultant and, in his view, a better leader.

He also recognized what it took for someone else to give that feedback. They could have moved on without investing in his development. Instead, they made the effort to explain what needed to change.

Look beyond the technical diagnosis

When a project is difficult, a technical professional may naturally look for a technical gap. Townsend's account broadens the possibilities. The missing contribution can be follow-through, communication or a clearer understanding of what the business needs.

He connected his response to feedback with lessons from an earlier basketball coach: pay attention to the substance of what is being said. That is his recollection of what helped him learn, not a reason to excuse disrespectful management.

For a security team, an editorial application is to make feedback specific enough to use. A broad judgment about leadership gives someone little to work with. An explanation of the missed follow-up, the stakeholder who needed attention or the urgency the situation required is more concrete.

Townsend described still carrying those earlier messages into his own leadership. The lasting value was not simply that someone assessed his work. Someone cared enough to help him see how to make it better.

Listen to the original conversation with Kenneth Townsend · Read the transcript

From the Fireside Chat archive: original episode published 2023-08-23. This is an editorial reflection on that conversation, not a new interview or an update on the guest’s current role.