3 Keys to Applying Feedback
So you can actually improve (and advance in your organization).
No matter how good you are at your job, getting feedback on how you can improve is inevitable as a Construction Professional.
In my experience with high-performance teams, the employees who take feedback and actually do something about it are the ones climbing through their organizations. Because it’s super important to hear and apply feedback as a leader, executive, and manager.
So, today I’d like to share 3 questions (and their answers) that you should ask yourself every time you receive feedback so that you can apply it effectively.
Whether you are an entry-level employee or the owner of your business: this applies to you.
Let’s jump in.
Question: What do I do with this feedback?
→ Answer: Figure out what you can control.
Most people panic as soon as they receive constructive feedback.
“Am I good enough?”
“Am I going to get fired?”
“Does this mean I’m a bad employee?”
It’s understandable, but I’ve learned it’s a waste of time.
Therefore, when you receive feedback, the first thing you should do is figure out what you can control.
Usually, this is your attitude, intentions, and actions.
In other words, don’t get paralyzed by the fear. Instead, get your mind right and ready to do something about it.
This will allow you to stop feeling bad for yourself and start applying the feedback in a productive way.
Important place to start.
Question: How do I make sure I improve in the areas my boss/peer/direct report suggested?
→ Answer: Turn it into a habit.
Ok, you received feedback that you need to talk less in meetings.
Now, how do you make sure you actually improve?
In my experience, the best way to truly get better in specific areas is to chip away at them daily in small ways. i.e. break the feedback into its smallest part and turn it into a daily habit.
The XYZ framework is extremely helpful for doing this:
→When X happens, instead of doing Y, I will do Z.
In our example:
When I get into a meeting and someone asks a question, instead of feeling like I need to speak no matter what, I will only speak if I have something valuable to say.
Write this down on a post-it on your desk. Write it down in your journal. Set a reminder with the message to appear weekly on your phone.
Whatever it takes, start executing on your new habit.
The more XYZ statements you create around the feedback, the faster you’ll learn your habit and get to applying it.
Question: How do I make sure my boss/peer/direct report believes I’m improving?
→ Answer: Ask for feedback on your progress periodically.
It’s critical that you go to the person who gave you the feedback periodically and ask them if you have actually improved.
It’s extremely important—otherwise the person may not know that you are trying to apply their feedback (because most people don’t). Usually, I would say something like:
“You mentioned in my year-end review to speak less in meetings. I have been working hard at this and developing new habits. Now that it’s been 3 months, I’m wondering if you’ve noticed any improvements?”
Do this again 3 or 4 times. It’s awesome because it does a couple of next-level things:
Shows that you listened
Shows the person you care about getting better
Proves you are actually working on it
Gives you insight into what you still need to improve or not
At the end of the day, obviously you want to get better for yourself, but you also want to get better for the person who gave you the feedback.
So, just ask. It’ll make all the difference in the world to them.
Spark Notes:
Getting feedback is hard.
Applying it can be even harder.
To make sure you are effective at applying feedback—so that you can actually advance in your organization as quickly as possible—do these 3 things:
Figure out what you can control
Turn it into a habit
Ask for feedback on your progress
You’ll be a growth machine in no time.
It will be one of the best things you ever did for your career.
How are you going to start?
