Did you know that up to 90% of employees hate their ‘annual performance review’? Are you one of them?
Feedback is a critical element in developing your career. Consequently, if you are waiting for your annual review to get feedback, this is not sufficient.
Not only are people afraid to ask for feedback, but often people also are not that too excited to give feedback as well.
Here are 6 ways to get the right feedback you need to ace your career goals
1. Don’t ask for general feedback, be specific
Instead of asking someone to ‘give you general feedback,’ link it to an actual outcome or deliverable. Example if you have just delivered a presentation, ask your boss, colleague, how that went. This approach is a non-threatening way to ask for feedback and in this way you may get very specific actionable feedback.
2. Always ask for examples
When you get feedback such as “You need to be more assertive in meetings,” this is not helpful. To get into the detail of your developmental areas and strengths, ask for an example. In this way, you can reflect on your interactions and behaviour and make a concerted effort to either build on what you did well or address what did not go well.
3. Aim to get ‘360’ feedback
Aim to get feedback from other people besides your boss. When you request feedback from others, always ‘put them at ease’ by asking for their input on a particular outcome. Phrase it in a way that puts them at ease so that they can give you meaningful feedback. Example, ask your team member for their feedback on a meeting you just ran. In this way, they are giving feedback on your work and not on you. By directing the feedback on your output, people would feel more at ease to give you the feedback.
4. Make feedback ongoing
If you are waiting for your ‘annual’ review to get feedback, this is a huge mistake. Feedback must be ongoing and real-time to make a real impact. So its June, and you delivered a deliverable in January, and you are only hearing now that it sucked? You missed out on five months’ of growth where you could have implemented the feedback.
[bctt tweet=”Feedback must be ongoing and real time to make a real impact. ” username=”cherralle_”]
5. Own your feedback
You need to make a concerted effort to get the feedback that you need. The reality is that the onus is on you to drive your feedback, so the first step is with you. [bctt tweet=”The best person to ‘manage your career’ is you, not your manager or mentor.” username=”cherralle_”]
6. Remember to build on your strengths
A growing body of evidence is showing that by focusing on enhancing your strengths you could be more productive and engaged. Reflect on what you really do well, and how you can capitalize on these to enhance your performance at work and in your personal life. Yes you need focus on your development areas, so that you reach an acceptable level within them. But guess what, if you also apply effort into building and enhancing your strengths this can make you phenomenal in your career and personal life.
Making the effort to get feedback can have a significant impact on your career if you act upon it. Hence, take the feedback and work through it yourself or with a mentor.
In which ways do you ensure that you get the right feedback? Share this post if it help you today!
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I like that idea of 360 feedback. Asking for feedback on the work, not yourself. Interesting and helpful tip!
This is a great list. Thanks!
I Love the words by Cherralle. So genuine! The best career gift to oneself is to work on improving the self-resume. Never give up on your dream.