Boost performance: Ask for feedback

Constructive feedback. Most of us say we want more it, while worrying it it’s like asking someone to hand over a live grenade. 

We all believe the theory: Constructive feedback is critical to improving. Everyone has blindspots, and in the fast-paced world of work, it can be easy for small issues to grow into large frustrations. It can also be easy to overlook small changes that can make a big positive difference to your relationships and performance at work.

When we say small, we’re talking small, small. 

Serve feedback in small portions

Here’s a selection of the feedback we’ve given each other over the last eight years:

Nat is an external processor. So early on, she formed a habit of racing up to Kristen with a new idea, thought or problem… Until Kristen told her that diving in without pause triggered her defensive instinct. The solution: Raise something then leave Kristen some space to process.

With a lot on, Kristen started referring to ‘smashing work out’… Until Nat said it made her feel like she was expected to whip out big projects in a very short time. The solution? A simple language shift.

We’ve had numerous conversations about our different approaches to dealing with stress, work in progress and planning – and how we can better manage them together. 

We had every single one of these conversations when the issue was still small. A slight niggle, or misunderstanding that we identified and dealt with quickly. That doesn’t mean the conversations were comfortable – feedback ususally isn’t.

Feedback builds trust

Our experience backs the research: feedback works best in small, frequent servings. Think of it as a tasting menu rather than an overwhelming all-you-can-eat buffet. Frequent feedback has enabled us to minimise big bust ups (yes, we’ve had one or two), and build such a strong working relationship it often looks like a psychic connection.

However, because we fear of it, most people accidentally contribute to a culture of avoiding feedback until performance reviews or when frustration bubbles over. That’s too late. 

Powrsuiters embrace self-leadership. That means not waiting for your manager to change, but taking ownership over getting what you need to succeed. So with that in mind, here are three simple ways you can create a habit of giving and receiving micro-feedback to boost performance:

1. Embrace the retrospective 

Retrospectives have long since been embraced by technical teams as a blame-free review of what worked, what didn’t, and what to change next time. Running regular retrospectives with project teams creates a culture of continuous improvement. And like all small changes, momentum builds quickly.

This feedback isn’t personal, it’s about how you can all work better together to shortcut issues, remove blockers and deliver better results. The more you do them, the more they just become part of the way you operate – you’ll get more comfortable raising issues and tackling challenges together.

2. Ask specific questions

At the end of every week, month or deliverable, email a couple of teammates (and your manager) two questions:

1. What’s one thing I did really well?
2. What’s one thing I could do differently next time? 

If you’re working on a particular skill or mindset, get specific: “I’m working on [your focus here], and I’d love your perspective”.

We recommend sending feedback questions in written form, because putting someone on the spot won’t result in their most thoughtful answer. 

3. Double down on the good stuff

We tend to assume all feedback is negative, but in high performing team, the vast majority is positive. 

If you’re like most Powrsuiters, you’ve never asked anyone what they think your strengths are, we promise it’s one of the most delightful forms of feedback you’ll ever receive. The words: “I’m trying to identify my unique value at work. You’re someone I really trust to be honest and I’d love it if you could share what you think my three top strengths are”.

Or, you can be brave and share your own feedback in the form of celebrating wins. We share ours every Friday over on Instagram – if you’re not ready to share your own, share someone elses.

Athletes embrace coaching, so should you

It would be absurd for an elite athlete to avoid feedback – could you event become one without it? However, when it comes to being elite performers in our careers, we tend to apply different rules. We shouldnt.

The thing about avoiding feedback is that it doesn’t make issues go away. If there’s something you can do to improve, you don’t want to be the last person to know. So make a habit of asking to small tweaks you can make, and watch them make a big difference to your performance.

Remember, asking for it is just step one. How you receive feedback makes a big impact on whether or not you’ll get more of it.