“Feedback is a Gift”

“Feedback is a gift.” This was engrained in me early in my professional career as a part of a Fortune 100 company who followed the strategies outlined in “The Oz Principle." In that organization, it wasn’t just something that was said when the executives were listening, but something the leaders I looked up to as a young engineer really believed. I watched them ask for feedback, I watched them actively work to act on the feedback, and I watched them provide thoughtful candid feedback to those around them.

As I was growing in my profession, I was often gifted development feedback. Some I chose to act on (like tips on executive presence) and others I have just accepted as a part of my identity (like how loud I am in an open workspace). Unfortunately, not everyone is so lucky. When they ask about moving up, they are simply told “just keep it up” or “ you’re doing fine,” when what they really want is something they can do.

Luckily, you don’t have to rely on your supervisor to get good feedback. You can do it on your own using a very simple strategy.

Identify 2 peers, 2 people junior to you, 2 people senior to you and 2 people who only know you outside of your paid professional setting (bonus points if you’re brave enough to ask your spouse)
Share your career goal with each of them. (How do you share it may look different based on who you are talking to, but it is important that each person know why you are asking them for feedback.)

Ask them these 3 questions:
1. What am I known for?
2. What do I do that might be career limiting?
3. What do you think I could do to be seen as more valuable to the organization?

Expect the some people might give you a quick answer, but don’t be surprised if some ask you for a little bit of time. That simply means they want to be thoughtful. As a matter of fact, even if they give you a quick answer, ask them again in 24 hours and see if you get any additional information.

This strategy works because by strategically picking a few people from each of those categories, you can quickly get a well rounded view of your strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. From this, you can build your very own a SWOT analysis and start thinking about ways to propel your career. As an added bonus, you now have people at various levels in the organization who know what you want to do, know that you are willing to put in the work, and can advocate for you in multiple settings.

The question is, are you brave enough to give it a try?