Feedback is really important for us to be able to grow as a person. But how do you actually make use of feedback?
The company I recently joined has a feedback-heavy culture. For every activity we do, we have a session where we give each other positive and constructive feedback. I personally like getting feedback so I naturally adjusted to the culture. But it’s not the same for everyone. Moreover, when you get feedback too many times it might not help you.
So I was thinking today about the way to use feedback. I talked to my peers at the office and I got good feedback about receiving feedback. Haha. But honestly, their opinions did help. The first step to making use of the feedback is to listen. No matter whether you agree or not, listening always helps. You hear the other person’s opinion and based on that you can form your opinion. But if you get defensive and don’t listen then it won’t help you. After you listen to the feedback you should think about how you can apply that feedback. If that feedback is objective where it is just a suggestion, maybe you don’t always need to implement it. But if it’s feedback where it actually helps improve you, you would rather implement it.
So when you are receiving feedback, don’t just take it and start applying it. First understand the context and then take action.