Giving and receiving feedback can feel uncomfortable, and unfortunately, it’s something people often try to avoid. But feedback is a big deal. Getting better at it will:
– Provide you with an accurate picture of your real-life strengths and weaknesses, so you can better leverage those strengths and improve those development areas;
– Give other people the opportunity to leverage their strengths and improve their development areas;
– Reduce miscommunication and enable more honest, forthright conversations, both of which build relationship quality and trust.
Getting better at giving and receiving feedback will speed your development, accelerate the development of the people you interact with, and build trust in all your relationships (from the C-suite to around the dinner table), making you more influential.
But how can you get better at receiving feedback when you work somewhere where the culture of sharing is ‘not how we do things around here’? You ask for it. Some ways of asking, however, are better than others. The best way to start the process is to ask a direct, but bounded question.