6 Ways to Improve Your Career with the Feedback Cycle

An ancient adage speaks to the idea of "iron sharpening iron," ultimately meaning that we can make one another better by providing encouragement, coaching, and feedback. When embodying this understanding, we can steadily improve and be the best versions of ourselves. Therefore, it is essential that everyone actively creates and participates in feedback cycles. Read below to learn ways that you can receive and provide feedback to improve performance and success.

Receiving Feedback

Regardless of the years of experience you have accumulated, it is important to fine-tune and improve your practice continuously. Receiving feedback is a useful tool to leverage to do just that! When seeking feedback, you must be intentional in what you are inquiring about and what you plan to do with the feedback once you receive it. You can do this by 1) asking about targeted/specific areas, 2) seeking clarification, and 3) creating a plan of action in response.

Most commonly, professionals seek mentors who inform them of the ways to advance in their careers. However, these individuals rarely work alongside you. Therefore, you must identify people you work closely with who can highlight things that you do well and how you can improve. This person might be your manager or supervisor, but could also be a co-worker that you collaborate with regularly or on specific projects. You can introduce the idea of them providing feedback by telling them about ways that you have been trying to improve professionally. For example, I might share that I have been working on improving my communication with team members regarding project status and possible mishaps. Providing insight will help guide the person's evaluation of your performance in that area. Once they respond, you must be prepared to listen with an open mind and ask follow-up questions, if necessary. Sometimes what others observe of us is different from what we think we portray; therefore, you must be receptive of their feedback. This could often be the most challenging part: learning that your actions did not have the positive impact you imagined. But once you move past that, your growth will be phenomenal. Finally, you should think critically about the feedback that they have provided to you and formulate a plan of action to implement immediately.

Providing Feedback

Individuals are most accustom to providing feedback after receiving a service or product. However, we must normalize the importance of giving continuous feedback, regardless of the setting, to move our companies and businesses from good to great. When providing feedback to an individual or business, you must consider your 1) purpose/desired outcome, 2) time and place, and 3) tone. 

When you provide feedback to an individual or company, you must first think about your purpose and desired outcome. Engaging in this reflection process will allow you to determine if your feedback is constructive or destructive. Proper feedback should never offend or cause the recipient to be on the defense. Are you offering feedback to improve their performance, or because you are upset or offended about something? After determining your purpose, you should make sure that you are intentional when and where you provide feedback. If I had an unpleasant experience at my favorite restaurant, I might privately email the company instead of writing a negative post on their Facebook. Not only will they be more receptive to what I am saying, but it also shows that I am investing in their success and only want them to be better. The same is true of a co-worker. I might not engage in a feedback conversation with someone who is visibly or audibly upset. Instead, I might wait for another day to increase the likelihood of the success of the conversation. While you should be mindful of the time and place, you should also be aware not to allow feedback to linger. Receiving feedback within the days of the 'incident' is more effective than waiting a week when it might not be as applicable. Allowing too much time to past, or for multiple things to pile up and to present it all at once, might overwhelm the recipient and make them feel attacked, ultimately reducing the feedback's effectiveness. Lastly, remember, it is often not what you say but how you say it. Therefore, make sure that you provide feedback in the same tone you would want to receive.

Feedback is vital to the success and improvement of any business or individual. In the coming weeks, I challenge you to provide and seek three pieces of feedback to improve your practice and that of another.

Diana Williams, Resume Tailor