5 tips for receiving feedbackOver the last few months I have written a series of articles on preparing, framing and giving feedback to people in organisations. This final, tenth article, looks at feedback from the other side and considers areas to be considered when receiving performance improving feedback.

5 Tips for receiving feedback

1 – Take it as it is gift
Receiving performance feedback can be quite a difficult thing. In reality it is often just as hard, if not harder to give it. The person giving the feedback trully cares for the person they are giving the feedback to. If not, the easy and obvious choice would be to ignore issues and have, personally, an easier life. The person who gives you the feedback is allowing you to see something that you don’t. In that sense negative, or better stated performance improving, feedback is positive.
2 – Remain calm
Keeping mentally calm as you are waiting for feedback is essential. If you are not in a calm frame of mind you tend not to be able to listen to all that is being said. Not being calm may also create tension for the person giving feedback and that may mean they do not give you the full picture or feedback that they meant to give you.
3 – Get clear understanding
You need to be really ensure that you have truly understood the feedback that have been given to you. Take time to paraphrase and clarify through questions what you are being told in order to get the most value from the feedback.
4 – Compartmentalise
Feedback is not about you as a person, rather, it is around some activities, tasks or behaviour that you have or have not done. Remember this and do not take feedback as a personal attack so separate yourself from the feedback conversation.
5 – Review and create next steps
At the end of the feedback, take some additional with the person giving the feedback, to review the key points of the conversation and co-create the expected actions that you expect to take based on the feedback. Ensure you follow up on these committed actions and take some time to review the changes with the person that gave you the feedback to ensure that you are now meeting expectations.5 tips for receiving feedback

Leadership reflections

As usual, here are some questions for you to consider around this article:
1) How did the last 3 feedback sessions work for you, what could you have done differently?
2) What commitments have you made after feedback that you have not followed up on?
3) Of the five points above, which one is your greatest development area and what can you do about it?

Thanks for reading this. If you have any feedback on this feedback article or any additional models or concepts around feedback that I should look at please reply below.

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