How to Embrace Constructive Feedback to Better Yourself & Grow

"Feedback is a gift. Ideas are the currency of our next success. Let
people see you value both feedback and ideas. – Jim Trinka and Les Wallace

It can be hard to accept constructive criticism. No one wants to hear they did it the wrong way. You put in the effort and unfortunately things went wrong. And, if an authority figure or a close friend shares the feedback, it makes one feel that I wasnt acknowledged for all the efforts I put but pointed for things went wrong and how I could have handled things better.

If you feel this way, it is okay. You are not alone in that feeling. I hear you.

Here are some tips:

Feedback is an opportunity to polish and make yourself shinier. Please understand that there is nothing personal, and that feedback was shared because they felt it might be helpful to you. So, if you acknowledge and embrace feedback in a positive light, you will feel better about the feedback. You will be able to see it as an opportunity to improve.

It is easy to feel upset when someone tells you something negative or focuses on only negative aspects and not highlight the positive things you did. You might feel the need to defend yourself rather than listen to what the speaker is saying.

But listening to the speaker with an open mind is the key. Ask them questions to get clarity and understand the intention. It might take a bit longer than expected to share feedback, so please be patient and allow the speaker to convey their thoughts properly.

Try to maintain a positive attitude and not jump to conclusions. Instead of focusing on one part of the feedback, consider the overall message. Your willingness to listen will encourage and help the speaker share their thoughts in a better and comfortable way.

It will allow you to fully understand the message shared by the speaker and address it in a proper way when your turn comes to speak.

It is true that neither of you has a full view of the matter. Speaker shares the thoughts based on what they noticed and you share based on what you know. You both might disagree with each other but none is wrong! Just didnt notice another side of the story.

Acknowledge their viewpoint before sharing your side of the story. The art of accepting feedback is seeing what others are offering you and what is good in it. No one is perfect but if someone takes time to bring out things that need to be addressed. It means they care for you or the team you both work in together. It could be part of their role and duty to share all information needed to help you improve. It might seem difficult but respect the efforts they make.

All feedback shared is different and unique to the last. It is easy to link one feedback to another and build unnecessary tension. It will disrupt the feedback session and you might not be able to fully understand the context of feedback sharing.

So, it is important to be mindful of the feedback getting shared and treat it as a new one. The matters that were overlooked in the past or things that need to be addressed could be shared after the speaker and you discussed the current feedback in detail and both agreed to a solution.

Look for the positive sides in the feedback you received. After receiving feedback, take responsibility for making improvements. Sometimes some accept the feedback at the time of feedback session but then fail to take actions to improve. So it is necessary that one prepares and follows up with the improvement plan, make necessary adjustments, and shine!

Taking actions reflect that you know how to accept feedback and improve.

Feedback sets the path to improve and grow for the better. Acknowledging, accepting feedback, and taking follow up actions reflect your willingness to cooperate, collaborate to ensure as an individual and team, we deliver the best service.

Please ask any and all questions here! Thank you!