During my first big leadership role in 1989 as Managing Director of the Macro Group, I received a rather bold, brilliant and direct piece of feedback. This turned out to be one of the most important interventions I have ever had…
Idea of the Day: My Life Changed as I Accepted the Gift of Feedback
If we shield ourselves from feedback, we stop growing – Brene Brown
During my first big leadership role in 1989 as Managing Director of the Macro Group, I received a rather bold, brilliant and direct piece of feedback from Varsha Parmar. I was stunned, but she explained I needed to show my appreciation more for the gift of feedback, and encouraged the entire office to share more with me!
This turned out to be one of the most important interventions I have ever had! I started to intentionally upgrade my reception and acceptance when feedback was given to me. I have continued this important work ever since, and regularly refresh my perspectives with the latest advice I come across. For example, this great Ted Ideas article helped me improve even further my understanding of the importance of receiving feedback: https://lnkd.in/g5UcEh3r.
Here are my top 4 improvement areas, as I lower my shields and let the feedback flow ~
🙏Start with a big thank you – whilst feedback is a gift, it’s a risk for the person giving it and you need to show it landed well!
👂Restate with what was said to let the giver know that their opinion matters. This makes it more likely they’ll be open to providing much-needed feedback in the future.
🙌Sharing action points with those who cared enough to share the feedback
💖Remember that feedback is a journey and ongoing process, so continue to seek out more to get better at receiving it, and make people feel comfortable in giving it.
I am embracing all feedback as we help one another in these challenging new world realities.
Getting better never stops for all of us!
What’s the most powerful piece of feedback you’ve been given recently and how did you receive it? Love to learn from you!
