On Feedback and Information -- Be Focused on Growth
Feedback is super-important in every plan and process to a set goal. As a leader, you will learn to appreciate feedback because you'll always want to know what stage your change process has reached and how much it has impacted.
One way people can easily view the impact of the changes they made is based on a natural perception of facts, events and results. However, perception is a dangerous thing especially without feedback because, then, how can you be sure you'reseeing exactly what is happening?
Hence, the importance of feedback. It supplies people with the information they need to make things better.
However, perhaps feedback isn't for just anyone. Leaders who would welcome feedback must be open and mature enough to accommodate accurate, constructive feedback from people, especially when it is difficult to take. Not everyone is mature enough to handle these types of feedbacks and why that is, is because for many people, opening up makes them feel vulnerable. People do not naturally like to hear criticism about something they've invested so much time and resources in.
As a leader, feedback is important because you're trying to gain a realistic idea of how your change initiative is progressing. And if you're able to establish and pinpoint emerging problems after getting these feedbacks, you can set things right early on and react quicker!
Simply put, accurate feedback is about getting the important information you need as far ahead as possible, just like how a tennis player sees the ball ahead and prepares a strike before it gets to it.
So, as established, feedback is instrumental to development. When receiving some constructive feedback, be sure to check the following;
- Listen carefully and don't try to get too defensive.
- Don't try to justify or defend something you accept or don't accept. If in doubt, ask for more information.
- Keep the feedback loop open by controlling anger.
- If your feedback is done as an open conversation, don't think ahead too much on how to answer the questions or queries, you might miss something important.
- Be detached. Treat the information received in an unemotional way.
- Explore the reasons why the feedback took the form it did. No assumptions.
- Thank your critics/applauders.