Harnessing the Power of Feedback: Uncovering Strengths and Areas for Growth

Introduction

When was the last time someone offered and you willingly accepted feedback? Feedback is an incredible tool for gaining self-awareness. However, we have to be ready for it, as it’s often met with resistance. We may write our own stories about why someone else’s opinion or thoughts don’t matter, but there's real growth and opportunity within every piece we receive.

Understanding Feedback

As we consider our self-awareness, our perception of how we interact with the world is often based on our intentions. However, there's the reality of how we interact with others who cannot see our intentions. They form their own stories based on non-verbal cues like facial expressions, how we dress, posture, and carry ourselves, as well as verbal cues like tone and language.

Feedback is the perception others have about us as individuals. I distinctly recall feedback I received from the customer service manager when I was a salesperson. As a new hire, I was assigned to the customer service manager for a period of time. When it came time to move me to a customer service representative, she shared that she was struggling with whom to move me to because I could be a bit demanding.

I was surprised! I asked for clarification. She shared that I had an expectation that everything should be done “my way” and was concerned that members of her team, while competent, would find it difficult to meet my expectations. I viewed myself as someone who followed “the rules.” While I worked within the guidelines of the organization, it became clear to me that I had written my own set of imaginary rules that became expectations, making me challenging to work with. While it was hard to hear, it opened the door to heighten my self-awareness. I will never forget that feedback—it was so valuable, and all these years later, I recognize it as pivotal in my development.

Different Types of Feedback

There are many different kinds of feedback. Most often, I prefer to combine managerial and peer feedback, including constructive insights. Also, I routinely ask for feedback from my direct reports. It’s critical that before asking for feedback, you are ready to accept it. In my experience, managers and peers are often more filtered. Direct reports, depending on their level of experience, may provide more critical and negative feedback. Once you get past the initial shock, know that all feedback is a valuable tool for your development.

For more information on the different types of feedback, you can check out this helpful article from BetterUp: Types of Feedback and Ways to Use Them (With Examples).

The Impact of Feedback

I’ll never forget the time I received feedback from my direct reports. I was a sales manager and overheard two of my sales reps in conversation. I thought I heard my name. It was our annual mid-year meeting, and we were sitting in the lobby bar of the conference center hotel.

What do I remember most about that conversation? They said, “you don’t acknowledge.” They proceeded to give me examples of interactions. Their feedback was honest and unfiltered. As I heard them recount stories of our interactions, I realized they were right. I didn’t acknowledge their accomplishments. They would come to tell me about a sales win or a project they worked so hard to win, and I would say something like, “oh good. What’s going on with…..?” and then move on to what wasn’t closed. I rarely, if ever, acknowledged their accomplishments. I can’t say I’ve completely eliminated this practice, but I know I’ve made big strides in acknowledging the accomplishments of my team—and myself. It heightened my self-awareness regarding my own self-critique.

Conclusion

Feedback, in all its forms, is a powerful tool for uncovering strengths and identifying areas for growth. It fosters personal and professional development, leading to a more self-aware and effective leader.