The subject of FEEDBACK is one of those muddy little areas in the corporate world. I'd dare say most managers squirm at the thought of it. Why? Not because they don't think it's important. Not because they don't have anything to say. But because they don't quite know HOW! And not knowing how makes it uncomfortable enough to avoid.
On the flip side, most professionals don't take the initiative to ask for feedback either. They simply adopt the mindset that "no news is good news" and keep doing what they've always done. When the annual review process to comes along they start stressing about what kind of surprises might be in store.
Butch Ward from the Poynter Institute recently wrote a great article called The Value Of Feedback. It was based on some training he attended on becoming a more creative leader. Here are a few excerpts from the article:
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"How well are you doing your job?" I asked. Lots of humility: some hesitant nods, a few uncertain head bobs –- in general, a reluctance to answer. "Note that I didn't ask you, how do you think you're doing," I clarified. "I asked, 'How well are you doing?' How well does your boss say you're doing?" The reluctance began to morph into an unspoken -– but clear -– answer. I asked the obvious follow-up. "So how many of you get regular feedback from your boss?"
Maybe you've heard the same statements. Or maybe they're yours:
- "I don't really need a lot of feedback."
- "I must be doing okay, since no one's telling me otherwise."
- "I gave up a long time ago on getting any feedback –- I figure if they're unhappy with my work, they'll tell me."
- "I'd like to give more feedback, but there's just not time."
Truth is, constructive feedback rests at the heart of our efforts to become better people.
Do you receive enough feedback from your boss? If you're not sure of your answer, consider these questions:
- Do you know how well you're doing your job?
- Has your boss given you specific examples of what you're doing well, and examples to illustrate what you need to work on?
- Have you and your boss agreed on a plan for measuring your growth over time? What do you agree improvement will look like?
- Does your boss know your ambitions? Have you received straightforward feedback on what you need to do to achieve those ambitions?
If you answered "yes" to these questions, you seem to be receiving the information you need to help you grow as a journalist. If not, maybe it's time to ask your boss for a conversation.
After all, you have that right. Just as much as you have the right to a computer, a telephone and auto reimbursement, you have the right to honest, constructive feedback. Otherwise, how can you do your job?
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To add to that, this is the process I used for getting my boss to give me feedback.
At the end of our weekly meeting, I simply asked 3 questions:
- What's going well?
- What could go better?
- What needs to change?
Then I followed it up with questions that made it easy for her to give me SPECIFIC feedback. Just short phrases to get her started. Things like:
- What should I should keep doing?
- What should I start doing?
- What should I stop doing?
- What should I do more of?
- What should I do less of?
As you can see, the process was simple and painless and it made it easy for her to be very specific. It also helped me navigate better going forward. Best of all, there were NEVER any surprises when it was time for my annual review.
Let me ask you this...How do you get feedback on how you're doing? Talk to me!
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