Less than 30% of professionals receive feedback, yet 75% of them state that receiving feedback is helpful.
I will be the first one to raise my hand and state that I was guilty of this early on in my career.
I dreaded giving feedback to others.
Deep inside, I believed that direct feedback could harm relationships and disrupt the team's dynamic.
However, with experience, I faced an inconvenient truth.
A place without feedback isn't doing its best. It misses chances to improve.
From this realization, I understood: the best teams don't just welcome feedback, they actively seek and give it. They recognize its crucial role and use it effectively to improve and grow.
To delve deeper into the art of giving feedback, I reached out to my friend Meredith Bell, President and Cofounder of Grow Strong Leader. Here are three invaluable tips she shared:
1. Act While It's Fresh: If you don’t deliver feedback in a timely manner, say within 24 hours, the other person may not remember exactly what happened, and they may wonder why you took so long to bring it up.
2. One Issue at a Time: If you bring up more than one, the person may feel overwhelmed. They may get confused and lose clarity about what it is they’re supposed to do. So you want to make sure that because your goal is to have them change the behavior, they understand what’s the one thing you want them to do differently.
3. Keep It Private: If you embarrass someone in front of others, they’re going to feel resentment and that will diminish their motivation to change and also damage your relationship. Another negative impact is that it can destroy some of the trust you’ve built up over time, and it could take a long time to restore that trust.
When given correctly, feedback helps people grow. Be thoughtful in your approach, listen, and always have a helpful conversation.
For those eager to master the art of feedback and communication more broadly, give Meredith a follow and check out her Podcast: Grow Strong Leaders - https://growstrongleaders.com/podcasts/#:~:text=Welcome%20to%20the%20Grow%20Strong,development%20of%20their%20team%20members
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