Why we all need a reality check

Learning how to accept other peoples’ feedback — even blistering criticism — and gain something from it is an invaluable skill that can make us better at our jobs and even better citizens, argues Sheila Heen ’93, the Thaddeus R. Beal Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School.

“We need each other to see ourselves and see the impact that we’re having on others,” Heen said at an event on April 6. “We actually need each other in order to learn, to grow, and we need some honest, if sometimes painful, feedback.”

Heen, who is also the deputy director of the Harvard Negotiation Project, was speaking at an event in recognition of her appointment as chairholder.

In his introduction, John C.P. Goldberg, Harvard Law’s Morgan and Helen Chu Dean, called Heen a “world renowned expert on negotiation and conflict resolution,” one who has also “played a leading role in the establishment of some of our most innovative executive education programs.”

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