How Gratitude Transforms Your Feedback Experience
Learn from feedback by embracing it with a positive mindset
Your attitude about feedback often determines its impact. It’s next to impossible to learn from disregarded feedback. On the other hand, when you appreciate and embrace feedback, you can let it teach and motivate you.
Last week, I wrote about how to ask for feedback. Today we focus on gratitude.
I want to tell you how to welcome feedback with open arms (and an open mind). Before you seek to understand and grow from feedback, you need a positive mindset.
👉 This is a four-part series about receiving feedback:
Part 2 - Be thankful
Part 3 - Gain understanding
Part 4 - Learn and grow
Be grateful
Feedback is a gift.
I don’t know who said this first, but I completely agree. You appreciate feedback more when you treat it like a gift. And this will help you foster the right mindset to learn and grow from it.
Let’s take a step back and look at what happens when someone gives you feedback:
They’re taking the time to prepare and deliver feedback to you.
They’re letting you know how they (or your team) feel.
They’re identifying what you’re doing well or need to improve.
It’s not easy to give feedback, especially the constructive kind. No one wants to tell someone that they did something wrong. Put yourself in their shoes. And be thankful for their honesty and vulnerability.
Some people go months without getting any feedback from their manager and team. Be grateful for any feedback you get. You’ll be able to use it to get better at your job.
Say thank you
Always say thank you when you get feedback. It’s polite and the right thing to do.
I know how hard it can be to say these two words. When someone tells you that you need to improve, the last thing on your mind is to thank them. But again, be grateful for the feedback.
Also, saying this will make the other person feel appreciated. And they’ll be more likely to continue giving you feedback. Finding someone willing to give you regular feedback is rare. Don’t take this person or their time for granted.
Embrace the feedback
After you receive feedback, let it sink in. Don’t automatically reject it. Embrace it.
You might be thinking:
I’m better than this.
This person is wrong.
No one else has said this before so it can’t be right.
Now isn’t the time to rush to judgment. You might disagree with the feedback. Or you might even think it’s inaccurate. But right now you just need to acknowledge it. You can process the validity of the feedback and how you feel about it later.
When you immediately shoot down feedback, you risk the opportunity to learn from it. Even if a sliver of the feedback is true, you can grow from it. Before you disregard someone’s opinion, have an open mind and give them the benefit of the doubt.
Feedback can spark tremendous growth. But you have to make room for it.
I know how hard it can be to accept constructive feedback. It’s much easier to deny it. But we learn and grow more from constructive feedback than from positive feedback.
Be thankful the next time you receive feedback. View it as an opportunity to improve.
Next, we’ll dive into questions you should ask to help you process and understand feedback.
Love this! Thank you!