Do you get enough feedback? No, really! Not just broad ‘hey, that was great’ or ‘you need to lift your game’ kind of feedback. I am talking about valuable feedback that helps you to continually develop as a leader and grow as a person?

Let’s assume you are asking for feedback (surprisingly – this is a big assumption) and are not getting useful feedback despite your requests. There is one ‘simple’ mistake you are probably making – without even realising!

The oversight is probably in your response.

Just say ‘thank you’.

Simple to do. Makes sense as we talk about it now, and yet so often that’s not what happens.

It’s a natural response to become defensive when you are given ‘constructive feedback’. Defensiveness leads to justification, and you might hear yourself saying things like ‘That’s what I would usually do, but in this case I did this because….’ Or ‘How can you say that?’

Resist the temptation to be on guard… and instead… say a simple ‘thank you’.

This is more than good manners that would make your mother proud! ‘Thank you’ indicates you are genuine and that you value the other person’s time, thought and willingness to have a Fearless Conversation with you.

It’s also worth reflecting on how you receive positive feedback too. Responses like ‘It was nothing’ or ‘I was only doing my job’ can leave the other person feeling uncomfortable and unheard, like they have given you a gift that you have brushed away. Instead respond with ‘thank you’.

‘Thanks’ is the best response.

Go Fearlessly – Corrinne