Using Feedback To Move Forward

2 Chapter(s) 17 mins left in module

( 8 min ) Video(s)

VIEW TRANSCRIPT

Video 1 - Curated Content! Video 2 - We all have that one person in our life who has endless, unsolicited feedback for us - our moms! Well, nobody likes to be criticized. But when you turn into an adult, you realise that your parents were right, about everything! Well, most of things! In your workplace, you will receive a lot of feedback from different people. While sometimes, it can come from people who are trying to bring you down, this is unlikely to happen during the earlier stages of your career. You are the naive, new kid in the room and everyone wants to tell you how to be safe, and how to avoid mistakes, and how to please your boss better… Um… I mean, work better! Feedback can be an ugly thing if you take it with the wrong attitude - but look at it as an opportunity to grow and you can make it into a powerful tool! Read this chapter to learn to use feedback as opportunities to move forward.

CLOSE TRANSCRIPT

_{Disclaimer: Curated Content! This video is available for free here.}

Description:

For too many people, feedback is a dirty word. It conjures images of being called to the principal’s office or to the dinner table by your parents as a child, and gives birth to the clichés of collective adult horror at your boss saying “see me before you leave” or your significant other greeting you with “we need to talk.” Now as adults, none of these things should necessarily be that scary. Serious talks are times for growth and communication and can lead to so many good things! Human nature being what it is, though, it can be hard to avoid the instinctive cringe when you think you’ll hear something negative about yourself, your work, or your business. But it can be done.

Accepting feedback
1. Don’t fear feedback –

Feedback can be scary, because what if it’s something negative or what if you find out something you’d rather not know, but it is the way to improve and learn. You can’t fix something you don’t know is broken, and you can’t improve something that you don’t see may have a weakness.

2. Be gracious –

Even if you disagree with the feedback given, accept it in the spirit of someone communicating with you and wanting you to improve. Maybe that won’t always be true, because there will probably always be people who use what they think is feedback as a way to criticize people with impunity, but it’s best for your sanity and your reputation to behave as if the feedback is being given with the best of intentions.

3. Consider feedback carefully and then use only what you can –

Give every piece of feedback you get serious consideration, let it sit until you can look at it objectively if need be, especially if the feedback is poking at a sensitive spot for you, and then toss out what you can’t use. Everyone has a different perspective, and every piece of feedback may not ultimately be useful to you, and as long as you give everything due consideration, that’s just fine.

4. Suspend any defensive responses that you might naturally feel.

Don’t do this:

Frankly, most of us had had negative experiences with receiving feedback so our initial reaction may be a “fight or flight” response. Work to keep your emotions in check!

5. Seek specifics.

Using a non-defensive tone and body language, seek additional information, particularly if the person giving you feedback hasn’t provided you with specific details.

For example, you could say,

“I’m sure you know that providing exceptional customer service is very important to me, so I want to make sure I understand more about how I came across in this situation. Could you give me a specific example about what you observed?”

Key Takeaways:

1. Don't take feedback personally or react emotionally to it.

2. Be gracious for feedback irrespective of whether you are going to use it.

3. Filter through the feedback with an objective mindset and decide what you want to do. It is okay to reject feedback, but you must do so graciously.

4. It is okay to dig in deeper and ask for detailed feedback or specific suggestions on how to improve. If you are unsure whether you understand the feedback, ask the person to explain it again.

Up Next:

It’s important to understand how to completely own your work and deliver the best, no matter what the task. Let’s go to the next chapter to understand how to be in charge of your work.

Click to view course outline

DISCUSS