Last week was about cleaning rooms, setting clear expectations, and giving feedback.  This week is about asking for specific feedback in situations.

Here is a short poem.

The mysterious

one-eyed Jack gazes both at the

past and the future

If I asked you to give me feedback on the poem, what would you say?  I’d imagine that right now you’re not exactly sure where to begin or what feedback would be helpful.  What if I told you that I was trying to ensure the poem followed the haiku format (5, 7, and then 5 syllables)?  I’m sure you could assess whether or not I did that.  What if I told you that the poem was supposed to give off a mystical vibe?  I’m sure you’d be able to talk through what feelings the poem made you feel, and then we could discuss how close those were to what I was aiming for.  What if I told you my goal was to write a poem about regret and anxiety?  Could you assess if it communicated that idea?

What does this have to do with anything?  Have you ever asked for feedback at work?  How clear were you about what you were looking for?  This lack of clarity could often lead to you getting feedback that isn’t helpful and/or isn’t what you’re actually trying to understand.  In the poem example, I initially asked for broad feedback.  I’m assuming your broad feedback wouldn’t have been all that helpful.  Then, I started asking more intentional questions to gather more specific feedback.  Once I did that, you could provide direction that could be used.

When I think about work, I try to never ask for general feedback.  Instead, I try to have specific questions.  “I was trying to achieve X.  Is that the right thing to achieve?  How well did I achieve X?” or “I’m trying to develop X skills.  On a scale from 1 to 5 I believe I’m a 3.5 for A, B, C reasons.  Is this the right skill to develop?  Do you agree with my assessment of where I am?  Why or why not?” or “I’m just looking for a good idea, so I can develop it further.  What has promise for you and why?”  I’ve found over time these specific questions lead to more useful direction.

The challenge: As a receiver of feedback, can you ask the specific questions about what you want to know?  As a giver of feedback, how do you narrow down the scope of the feedback to ensure it is useful?

1000 bonus points if you counted the syllables in the poem.  I did 5, 8, 5 when it was supposed to be 5, 7, 5. 😉

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry