Thanks For The Feedback

Thanks For The Feedback will skyrocket your personal growth and success by helping you see the vital role that criticism of all kinds plays in your ability to improve as a person and by teaching you how to receive it well.

In college, I got a 14% on one of my Multivariable Calculus exams. Luckily the professor didn’t count one test score each semester, so I still did okay in the class. But I had no idea what I did wrong on that test because I only got a number back.

Effective feedback, in contrast, comes in three types:

Appreciation, which motivates you. Coaching tells you how to improve. Evaluation outlines where you’re at right now and where you need to be.

Let’s look at the example of a basketball game to see how each of these works.

A coach would give a pep talk at the beginning of the game to encourage you. They’d give coaching in between plays to show you what to do next. And when the game is over, they’ll evaluate how you did compared to what was expected.

You can use each of these at different times whether you’re checking in on your own performance or rating somebody else’s. If you’re exhausted after working hard, focus on being grateful for how you did rather than looking at how to do better.

And if you don’t get the right kind of feedback at the right time, it’s vital to know how to give feedback to your mentors so they know how to help you the next time!

Taking offense is probably your most common response when someone gives you feedback of any kind. The sad truth about this, however, is that you miss an opportunity to learn how to improve when you let your emotions get in the way. Instead, consider what the other person’s intentions were. Do they really care but they just don’t know how to deliver criticism well? Or maybe they said one thing and there’s another issue behind it that you need to do some digging to discover. Say someone calls you a reckless driver. You might look at the circumstances and realize that every time they’re with you in the car you’re texting and driving. It will also help to think about what they want you to do differently. Maybe you just need a way to use your phone hands-free! It’s important to try to see other’s points of view because you can never really see yourself objectively. One 2007 survey proved this when 90% of managers considered their performance to be in the top 10%! That’s impossible! Remember that what other people think is valuable, even if they don’t share…