Soliciting Criticism Upward (Orange Box Method)
Prove you can take it before you start dishing it out
This framework addresses the fundamental power asymmetry in boss-employee relationships. People do not naturally criticize their boss, and the boss must take deliberate, systematic action to make it safe and expected. The approach works in phases: start with a go-to question, embrace discomfort through silence, reward the first pieces of criticism visibly, and gradually scale the practice until it becomes cultural.
The Orange Box method, pioneered by Michael Dearing at eBay, provides a physical mechanism for anonymous feedback that can bootstrap the process. Dearing placed a box with a slit in a high-traffic area where people could drop questions or feedback. At all-hands meetings, he pulled items from the box and answered them off the cuff with genuine respect. Over time, as people saw that he took every question seriously and fixed problems rather than shooting the messenger, they began challenging him directly and the box emptied out.
The method also includes the counterintuitive practice of criticizing yourself publicly. Michelle Peluso, CEO of Gilt Groupe, shared her 360 reviews with her entire executive team and even the whole company, starting with her own weaknesses. This made it safer for everyone else to be vulnerable.
- When you become the boss, you inherit assumptions that have nothing to do with who you are. You must actively overcome them.
- Earning trust requires proving you can receive criticism, not proving you deserve respect.
- The goal is to make it not just safe but expected and natural to criticize the boss.
- Rewarding criticism visibly, by making a change or giving a thoughtful explanation for disagreement, is essential for getting more.
- You are the exception to the 'criticize in private' rule. Public criticism of you builds trust for the whole team.
- Develop and Use a Go-To QuestionFind a question that falls easily off your tongue and use it consistently. Scott uses: 'Is there anything I could do or stop doing that would make it easier to work with me?' The question is not meant to get one answer; it is designed to get the conversation flowing.Pro tipIf those exact words feel unnatural, find your own version. The key is consistency so people know what to expect.WarningDo not accept 'Everything is fine' as an answer. That is not candor; that is avoidance.
- Embrace the DiscomfortWhen people respond with vague reassurance, count to six in silence. The goal is not to bully but to make it harder for them to say nothing than to tell you what they think. If counting to six does not work, ask the question again. And again.Pro tipSheryl Sandberg asked a Facebook IPO banker for feedback after a meeting. He could not think of anything. She pressed three times, complimenting his feedback skills, until he finally offered something useful.WarningYour discomfort will tempt you to let people off the hook with a 'Glad to hear that!' Prepare yourself in advance to resist this urge.
- Reward the Candor VisiblyWhen someone finally criticizes you, make a visible change as soon as possible. If you agree, act immediately. If you disagree, give a thoughtful, respectful explanation. Never critique the criticism. Consider visible signals like Scott's 'radical bander' rubber band.Pro tipIf the change takes time, do something visible immediately to show you are trying. The speed and visibility of your response determines whether you will get more criticism in the future.WarningIf you solicit criticism and then punish or dismiss it, you will destroy trust so thoroughly that it may never recover.
- Scale with SystemsUse an Orange Box for anonymous feedback, management fix-it weeks to address systemic issues, and public self-criticism at all-hands meetings. Ask your most comfortable critic to challenge you publicly to demonstrate that it is safe.Pro tipManagement fix-it weeks (modeled on engineering bug-fix weeks) let people log management issues that get prioritized by votes and assigned to managers for resolution during a dedicated week.WarningAnonymous systems are a bootstrap, not a destination. The goal is to build enough trust that people challenge you directly without needing anonymity.
Dearing placed an orange box with a slit in a high-traffic area at eBay, where 200-plus people could drop anonymous questions and feedback. At all-hands meetings, he would pull items out and answer off the cuff, treating every question, no matter how banal, with genuine respect and thoughtfulness. He did this during turbulent times including a CEO transition.
After being told she interrupted people too much, Scott could not fix the habit instantly. She put a fat blue rubber band on her wrist and asked everyone to snap it whenever she interrupted. She wore it to staff meetings and mentioned it at all-hands, creating a visible, ongoing signal that she took the feedback seriously.
Scott observed that despite being five feet tall with blonde hair and a Southern accent, people perceived her as intimidating once she became a boss. She had spent her whole life fighting the 'dumb blonde' stereotype and was stunned when someone described her as both intimidating and tall. This made her realize that the boss role itself creates barriers to honest communication that must be actively dismantled. She synthesized techniques from Fred Kofman's coaching at Google, Michael Dearing's Orange Box at eBay, and Sheryl Sandberg's relentless pursuit of feedback even during Facebook's IPO process.