Feedback – Positive or Negative – Is a Gift In Disguise

“To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.”

~ Elbert Hubbard, an American writer

When I started working, I used to hate when my leader would sit me down and give me “constructive feedback” because I would hear “constructive criticism!” I would become defensive and tell myself I knew what I was doing. Then, after calming down, I would grudgingly agree I could have done better. Luckily, I quickly learned that was NOT the way to improve my skills, grow, or develop relationships with colleagues or leaders.

Feedback is a Gift

Each employee is responsible for getting their tasks done and accountable for results.

There are days when we do exceptional work and other days not so much. When you receive positive input, you feel great and know you are on the right track. If things don’t go how we expect, listening to negative feedback on how we can do better is a gift. Instead of making excuses or complaining, decide how you will correct it based on the new information.

Develop a Growth Plan 

A Growth Plan provides a path from where you are now to where you want to be in six months, a year, etc. It does not have to be complex. Instead, you should feel excited when you review it because it is on paper and makes your vision real. If you developed Front and Back Pocket Plans (see my previous blog, Create Your Front and Back Pocket Plans (https://bit.ly/2T17l61) to assist you in preparing for planned or unexpected changes), you could easily combine them with this plan.

Some questions to get you started would be:

  • What motivates me?
  • What skills do I want to develop to add value to my career?
  • How would I like others to perceive me?
  • What do I like to do, and what tasks do I want to do less?
  • What habits are sabotaging me?
  • On a scale of 1 to 10, how compelling is my career vision?

Routines to cultivate

Status Reports – Whether or not your leader wants a written status, keep track of your accomplishments. For example, I had a client disappointed and angry that her leader did not recognize everything she did during her performance review. However, she did not update him because she felt he should have known. He had a team of 20 people! Impossible for anyone to keep track. Your responsibility is to let your leader know about all the value you bring to the job.

Testimonials – If someone compliments you, let your leader know. If they send it as a text, email, Slack DM, etc., forward it to your leader. It is not bragging. It is a “Thought you would like to see what our customer thinks about our service” message. In other words, you are responsible for showing your value and your work.

Request Feedback Often – You should never be blindsided by your yearly performance review. At one-on-ones, ask for their perception of what you are doing right and what you could do better. Share your career goals and ask for their support and mentoring in achieving those goals.

Plan Your Day – Yes, it will change radically but take 15 minutes before your day starts to prioritize the three things you must accomplish, so they remain uppermost in your mind. Then, as emergencies arise, remember there are “Urgent and Important” and “Urgent and Not Important.” Finally, you decide what you will tackle.

Calendaring – Add placeholders to check emails or work on projects. Meetings with yourself are as important as meeting with colleagues or customers.

Debrief Your Day – At the end of your day, take 15 minutes to consider what went well and what could have been better. Then, celebrate the good stuff and think about handling the other stuff differently to achieve better results.

If you try any of these recommendations, you will find developing yourself more fun, exciting, and straightforward.

Let me know how it goes!

Please follow and like us:

About Chris Sier

Over the course of her career, Chris Sier has been a leader, business development manager, process consultant, and corporate coach. Having been an executive/leadership/career coach with a Fortune 200 company; and since 2009, as a business owner, Chris has worked with VPs, directors, team leaders, and high potentials globally, working with clients to maintain their competitive edge, manage complexity, drive growth and operational efficiency, and inspire and engage multi-generational teams. She also works with clients on their brand and career management. She has authored numerous booklets and articles, and has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Community Development with a minor in Psychology from Central Michigan University.

0 Comments

She helped me grow and succeed

Christine was my Executive Life Coach for about a year at EDS. I have worked with a number of Coaches, Counselors and Mentors during my career and none came close to having the impact Christine had on my life and career. I was working in an extremely stressful position during an extremely difficult project of migrating over 300 applications from 47 separate support vendors around the globe to an EDS support team. I had complete responsibility for the client relationship, the financials, and the technical aspects of the transition while also maintaining EDS' existing business with the client. Christine taught me a number of simple yet highly effective techniques for dealing with the stress. Her personal, sincere, and upbeat approach helped me get through a real death march. At the same time, she also helped me do some extremely important career planning for what would come after this project. She is truly outstanding at what she does and helped me grow and succeed during a period when I could easily have been crushed.

Kurt Toelken
Global Client Delivery Executive, Detroit, MI
error

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)