My last column asked, “Are You Open to Feedback?” The only thing to fear about feedback is nothing! Learn to embrace feedback; no, learn to run after it, and free yourself from the fear and worry about what others think. Who knows, you may become the highest-paid member on your team by facing your fear head-on!
Now, I’d like to share with you the top 10 benefits of opening yourself up to feedback.
1. You will change and grow. One of the greatest benefits to feedback is when you see yourself changing from the input you have received and are acting upon. When you see a change in how you think and in your behavior because of the feedback you received and the input that you have gained from others, you grow in your confidence, and you understand that change for the better is possible.
2. Improve your listening skills. When we are open to feedback and where asking others for their input, we tend to listen to what they say much more carefully and attentively then if we had not asked for their feedback. This continuous exercise of intentionally listening or actively listening improves your listening ability in every area of your life.
3. Increases motivation. Seeing yourself change and improve increases your motivation for growth. Motivation is somewhat like a snowball rolling downhill. The more it stays in motion, the larger it gets, and the more motivation, the greater the speed gain.
4. Enhances your performance. When you are open to feedback, and you are implementing the advice and recommendations that you are receiving from your trusted colleagues, coaches, and mentors, you will begin to see your performance and skills improve. By enhancing your performance, you will create an upward spiral effect and an upward trajectory to high levels of accomplishment.
5. Continuous growth. As you experience continuous change, improved listening skills, increased motivation, and greater levels of performance, you will begin to grow. You will begin to grow personally and professionally. You will begin to crave and desire to grow because you would have tapped into the essence of being human. And, as human beings, we desire to grow and change to become all that we were created and put on this earth to become, so by being open to feedback you are giving yourself the gift of continuous growth.
6. Increases your self-esteem and builds trust. You will also build trust, trust within yourself, and the trust of others. When you are reaching out to someone for feedback, and you put their recommendations into action and then follow up and let them know that you have put them into action, you will gain their respect, and they will develop a deeper level of trust. You are proving to be a man or woman of your word.
7. Develop closer relationships. Developing deeper levels of trust automatically leads to developing deeper and closer relationships on a personal and professional level. When the family and colleagues understand that they can rely on you and that you are a person of your word, you will lay the groundwork for deeper relationships.
8. Widens your horizon. As you continuously go after feedback, another benefit is that you are exposing yourself to others’ points of views. You are opening your eyes; you see the world through someone else’s perspective.
9. Improves your decision-making ability. You will improve your decision-making ability by making it a habit to seek the input and advice of others. This will widen your horizon and deepen your relationships. You are now on a path of continuous growth and building trust with yourself and those around you. And, as the good book says, “with many advisers, victory is sure.”
10. Increases your possibility of thinking. Possibility thinking is the result of being continuously exposed to other points of view.
Are you open to going after feedback? Here is how you can test your openness to feedback. Open your calendar and count the number of appointments you have had in the last month where you asked someone for input on how to improve in any area of your personal or professional life. How many appointments did you count?
The second way to tell how open you are to feedback is to look at your bank statement or checkbook. How much did you spend last month on coaching, mentoring, online training, or books or audio programs? How much did you spend looking for feedback to get better last month?
The benefits of feedback are like the benefits of lifting weights or practicing music. You only receive those benefits when you go to the gym and work out.