Be Open to Receiving Feedback

Ours is a world of rapid change.

The evolution theory suggests that only those who are prepared to (and capable of) change will survive. There are people who seem to live their life, year in year out, with relatively little change. Shut off from new ideas, experiences or feedback from others that may cause them to have to change or question their life choices. Even when their life is less than they would like, they resist anything that may put them out of their comfort zone.

You transform neither yourself nor your workplace when you are blind to how your beliefs, emotions, thinking and behavior may be limiting your progress.

On the Success Formula page I shared with you that the first step in to Powerful Performance is Awareness.

Seeking Out and Receiving Feedback Is One Way Of Gaining Awareness.

By applying the principle of awareness you become openly welcoming to new information and ideas, new mindsets and thinking patterns. When you are open and receptive you are able to use new information and insights to make choices about how you want to direct or re-direct your life to more powerfully recognise your potential

The downside is that at times Awareness may cause you to experience inner conflict, turmoil and chaos as you begin to meet your 'real' self ... how others perceive you and your behaviour. Facing up to others perceptions can be uncomfortable and could lead to defensiveness and anxiety.

However, if you remain closed off to the responses and feedback of others, you limit the opportunity to have more powerful relationships. The wise person appreciates the discomfort as they know they are probably about to breakthrough to a new level of performance.

Be Wary Of Getting Defensive When You Are Receiving Feedback

If you get defensive whenever someone provides you with feedback people won't tell you the things you need to hear and as a result you stop learning and growing. You'll know you are being defensive if you find yourself denying, ridiculing, blaming, laying fault elsewhere or projecting.

Rather than directing your energy to defending yourself you are better served to look at the possibilities that are available for a shift to using more of your powerful potential.

Awareness Doesn't Just Come From Feedback From Others

You can use these different strategies for gaining awareness about the areas in which you might like to focus in order to move more toward your potential.

• Observe the reactions and responses of people to you;
• Use the formal feedback processes available in your workplace;
• Read new information;
• Attend workshops, seminars, conferences, not just in your area of technical expertise but in areas of personal growth;
• Observe people who are successful in an area you would like to improve upon;
• Review the number of job promotions and/or salary increases (or the lack thereof), over the last several years

At times you may be receiving feedback which is delivered poorly or with poor intent ... meant to punish rather than support on-going growth. Do not let that stop you from utilizing any wisdom it may contain. Simply thank the person for sharing their thoughts and then assume self-responsibility for taking what is relevant to your personal growth and discarding the rest.

Final note -- just because you get feedback ... doesn't mean you have to change. I've received plenty of feedback over the years (and often times delivered with good intent) that I've chosen to ignore. Not because the other person was wrong. Simply because I checked in with my internal guidance system (my emotions). My emotional guidance system was letting me know that I was okay with how things were. If you are happy and content ... there's nothing to change :)

Best of luck!