In the past when you’ve been given feedback, how did you take it?
Did you see it as something you can learn from, or were you a little annoyed that someone didn’t see your idea or your actions as totally positive?
It’s important in a working situation that we all understand that feedback is a positive tool. It helps us do better, it helps us improve our performance and it can help us to move towards better things in the future. When someone gives you feedback, they’re not necessarily saying that what you’re doing is bad or wrong, they’re saying that they think if you tried it slightly differently or changed a small detail, you could do much better and find everything easier as a result.
We tend to confuse feedback with constructive criticism, but neither are bad. Both allow us to do better from that point and to explore different methods of working.
Does your business conduct regular appraisals with your employees?
Hopefully, the answer is ‘yes’!
Appraisals, or Staff Development Reviews (SDRs) are very useful tools for giving feedback and to help identify methods of improvement. This is also the ideal time to give feedback, ask for opinions, and generally chat about development options for that particular employee. From an employee point of view, this is your dedicated hour with your manager, sat around the modern boardroom tables, and your chance to air your views, talk about what you want to achieve, and put together a plan to help you get there. You should see this as a positive thing, a meeting which could put you on the right path towards future career progression.
When someone gives you their honest feedback on something you’re doing, it gives you options. You can choose to take their feedback and act on it, or you can just listen and decide that you’re grateful for it, but you have your own ideas. However, taking it on board is usually the better option. When you’re in the middle of a situation, i.e. when you’re the one doing a particular job, it’s easy to see just one route forwards. Someone assessing the situation from outside may be able to see different routes, and one of those could prove to be easier, less time consuming, and perhaps even more enjoyable for you. Being open to such feedback is therefore important.
When looking towards future success, mentorship is a good way forward, and what do you think a mentor does? They give you feedback! Your mentor is an expert in their field and that means they’re able to give you honest advice based on their own experiences. Then, you can weave that advice into your own practice and see where it takes you. Choosing to ignore the advice and feedback of a mentor is, therefore, a foolish option!
It’s not possible to know it all. You’re growing and developing all the time, no matter how long you’ve been in a job. Taking on feedback and actioning it how you see fit helps you to take chances that could put you in a better position in the future. You can use this feedback as a stepping stone, or you can choose to see it as an affront or a personal attack. Of course, that’s never the case, or at least it should never be the case.
Managers need to learn how to give honest feedback in a positive and uplifting way. That’s the whole point of feedback after all! This is meant to be used, taken forward, and actioned, providing the employee with all the tools they need to not only reach their own career goals, but perhaps surpass them too.