John Beeson has written a terrific article titled "Decoding the Unwritten Rules of Corporate Advancement" in which he describes how feedback really works inside the organization.  As talent leaders, we spend our energy building processes - competency models, succession plans, performance and appraisals - to clearly articulate what it takes for success in our organizations.  This article articulates how feedback gets coded, or confused, or just plain not delivered, and how this contributes to frustration in our leaders.  I have seen this frustration at all levels of the organization, and it's a costly problem when it results in the departure or lowered output of our best talent.  The article is long, and well worth the read. I recommend it to anyone involved in organizational talent processes, as well as with leaders who are experiencing this type of frustration.

In most organizations, promotions are governed by unwritten rules—the often fuzzy, intuitive, and poorly expressed feelings of senior executives regarding individuals’ ability to succeed in C-suite positions. As an aspiring executive, you might not know those rules, much less the specific skills you need to develop or demonstrate to follow them. The bottom line: You’re left to your own devices in interpreting feedback and finding a way to achieve your career goals.