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With Purim approaching, I am sitting with the question of perspective. The story I learned as a child of “goodness” triumphing over “evil” no longer seems so simple. Jews are instructed to be joyful at Purim and to celebrate the reversals of fortune, yet the themes of the story are complicated by systemic oppressions and cycles of violence that implicate all of the characters.
This year, those complications feel even more present and yet there are lessons we can glean that can point us towards the possibility of transformation Looking at the holiday story through the lens of my work at Ta’amod, the lesson that stands out most is the role of feedback as a tool for creating change and stimulating growth within a system.
In the Purim story, Esther becomes Queen, gaining all the power and privilege of that position. At a crucial moment of the story, Esther must find the courage to give critical feedback to the King because his lack of leadership has led to a crisis for her community.
Esther is reluctant to risk her privilege and relative safety to stand up to the King. She needs critical feedback from Mordechai about the consequences of choosing inaction and relying on her “temporary privilege” to remain safe even as others in her community are targeted. Esther’s capacity to hear this feedback and use her power to make change is one of the key lessons of Purim for me. The cycle of feedback from Mordechai to Esther and Esther to the King is what makes change possible.
Research tells us that cultivating a feedback-rich culture – one in which giving and receiving feedback is routine and normalized – is key to creating healthy and psychologically safe workplaces. Many organizations are working hard to improve how feedback is given but the skill of receiving critical feedback with grace is equally as vital for creating a feedback-rich workplace culture.
Receiving critical feedback is hard, no matter who we are or the nature of the feedback. Critical feedback often challenges our self-image. When we are in leadership, feedback from someone who has less organizational power within the hierarchy, can land as a complaint or perhaps even “insubordination.” But what if we could bring curiosity to the moment of receiving critical feedback? How might the information this person is sharing with me improve our working relationship? If we are willing to listen with openness and curiosity, we allow ourselves the possibility of change and growth.
Cultivating a feedback-rich culture is the responsibility of everyone. Esther becomes the heroine of the story when she is willing to take a risk to offer feedback to someone whose behaviors negatively impact the environment. In order to get there, she had to be open to feedback about how her own actions (or inaction) would impact others as well. Following the model of Esther, we must all cultivate the ability to give and receive feedback in order to become true agents of change.
Dr. Andrea Jacobs
Chief Program Officer
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