Last week was about giving quality feedback when people do things well and not just when they make a mistake.  This week we’ll wrap up this series by thinking about our role in receiving feedback.

Imagine for a moment that you are investing in 2 different stocks.  The stocks have the same potential, you invest the same amount of money in them, but there are a couple of differences.  Stock A never shows you any data to let you know how the stock is doing, so you have no idea what your return on investment is.  Stock B gives you consistent updates and you realize that every time you invest money in Stock B the stock increases in value and you get a higher dividend.  Which stock would you rather invest in?

Gut check question.  Which stock are you?  You’re probably wondering what that question even means and how it connects to us at work.  Think about the last time you received quality feedback.  What did you do to show the person you valued their feedback?  What did you do to demonstrate you had actually changed?  If you didn’t do anything, then you are Stock A.  The person invested their time and effort in you, and they have no idea what happened as a result.  If you demonstrated that their words were valuable to you and you changed as a result, then you are Stock B.

Do you think the person would rather invest their time and effort in a person like Stock A or a person like Stock B?  In my experience, when I have given feedback to people and they have done something to show me that they value the input and time I gave them, it drives me to help them more.  I end up spending more time doing whatever I can to help them reach their goals.  If I don’t feel the person ever listens or changes as a result I begin to wonder if it’s even worth my time.  Have you ever felt this way?

Over my career I’ve learned that when it comes to giving feedback it’s my job to give specific and constructive feedback.  When it comes to receiving feedback, it’s my responsibility to show I’m open to receiving the feedback and that I’ll actually do something with it.

 The challenge: Which stock will you be?  Will you be a good investment?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry