Feedback fuels growth so seek it or offer it. You can choose to take it or leave it, reflect on it and make changes, but you can only do that if you have it. In order to make significant improvements towards your personal development, then you need to ask for feedback. Feedback provides an opportunity to discover your weaknesses and work towards improving your performance in these areas. Asking your manager, your tutors or your interviewers questions such as “how can I improve my skills further?” Or, “what advice do you give for improving my communication?” can provide the insight needed to accelerate your personal development.

I used to work for a great boss who used to let me get on and do my job, he was confident that I would deliver, I worked hard and did the best I could as a result. It was however only the best I could do, with the knowledge I had, it may not have been the absolute best I was capable of!

Whilst a great boss to work with and for, he was really poor at the people “stuff” the interaction was friendly and business like, but never engaging or motivational, informative or inspiring. Time zone challenges made a lot of communication written, which worked for him, he had bigger things to deal with and more senior people than me to manage. All excuses I made for him and also me!

I remember vividly one performance and pay review, obviously a prime opportunity for feedback and development discussions, along with the obvious significant increase in reward!

We were travelling together on a train when he stopped our discussion, reached into his pocket pulled out a pen and little stack of post-it notes (other sticky notes are available). He quickly wrote something on the top note and then turned the palm of his hand and the note toward me and said “I was thinking that”. On it was written my new salary. A number I was happy with, I said something to acknowledge, agree and we moved on.

There was no opportunity for discussion on why he “was thinking that”, how it could have been more than that, or what I needed to do in the next year, to make it even more than that again! I didn’t ask, I wasn’t prepared, for that discussion, but could have been, probably neither was he and the moment was gone. We carried on as before, he had ticked the box, I knew I was being valued, just not why or how to be of more value.

At PYP we implore you, If you lead people provide constructive feedback to help improve them, if they are doing a good job let them know, in the moment don’t wait until a formal meeting. If you have a manager, ask them for feedback on how to improve and at the same time provide them feedback, even if it is that you would like more feedback!

Feedback is for the benefit of everyone. You develop or they develop you and as a result you get better, they get better or at least everyone is aware how to.

Feedback fuels growth so seek it or offer it. You can choose to take it or leave it, reflect on it and make changes, but you can only do that if you have it. In order to make significant improvements towards your personal development, then you need to ask for feedback. Feedback provides an opportunity to discover your weaknesses and work towards improving your performance in these areas. Asking your manager, your tutors or your interviewers questions such as “how can I improve my skills further?” Or, “what advice do you give for improving my communication?” can provide the insight needed to accelerate your personal development.

I used to work for a great boss who used to let me get on and do my job, he was confident that I would deliver, I worked hard and did the best I could as a result. It was however only the best I could do, with the knowledge I had, it may not have been the absolute best I was capable of!

Whilst a great boss to work with and for, he was really poor at the people “stuff” the interaction was friendly and business like, but never engaging or motivational, informative or inspiring. Time zone challenges made a lot of communication written, which worked for him, he had bigger things to deal with and more senior people than me to manage. All excuses I made for him and also me!

I remember vividly one performance and pay review, obviously a prime opportunity for feedback and development discussions, along with the obvious significant increase in reward!

We were travelling together on a train when he stopped our discussion, reached into his pocket pulled out a pen and little stack of post-it notes (other sticky notes are available). He quickly wrote something on the top note and then turned the palm of his hand and the note toward me and said “I was thinking that”. On it was written my new salary. A number I was happy with, I said something to acknowledge, agree and we moved on.

There was no opportunity for discussion on why he “was thinking that”, how it could have been more than that, or what I needed to do in the next year, to make it even more than that again! I didn’t ask, I wasn’t prepared, for that discussion, but could have been, probably neither was he and the moment was gone. We carried on as before, he had ticked the box, I knew I was being valued, just not why or how to be of more value.

At PYP we implore you, If you lead people provide constructive feedback to help improve them, if they are doing a good job let them know, in the moment don’t wait until a formal meeting. If you have a manager, ask them for feedback on how to improve and at the same time provide them feedback, even if it is that you would like more feedback!

Feedback is for the benefit of everyone. You develop or they develop you and as a result you get better, they get better or at least everyone is aware how to.

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