Asking for Professional Feedback
There are many areas in which we can safely call ourselves an expert. These are the areas in which we excel. These are also the places where we can safely claim to be able to lead others. However, there are other areas in which we may not be quite so confident. These are the places where we need to get feedback in order to be able to improve.
Know What You Are Asking For
Many experts in the industry, such as Jason Rowley, have published advice on how to ask for feedback. They stress that you need to know exactly what you are asking for. You need to know what you are doing well and what needs to be improved. You also need to have a plan for action once you realize what it is you need to do in order to get better.
Once you have an idea of what needs to be improved, you can call on an expert to give you aid and counsel. The best thing such a person can do is give you feedback on what it is that you are doing right. This way, you can keep on doing it. Of course, you also need to be told exactly what you are doing wrong.
The main idea, as stressed by Rowley and other industry experts, is that you need to be able to take this advice with aplomb. You need to accept it as genuine and completely objective information. It must be received and implemented in a rational fashion. If you can manage this, you have a shot at making some very real improvements.
Know the Right Person to Ask
You certainly won’t gain anything by asking the wrong person for feedback. This is the kind of vital advice that you can only get by asking someone who is in the right position to give it. You want to know that the person you call upon is experienced and qualified. The advice they can give you will be based upon knowledge they have gained.
Always look for someone who you consider an expert in their field. This should be the type of person who you wouldn’t be ashamed to consider as a mentor. The feedback they give you should be based upon their own experience and qualifications. They should be considered a respected expert in their field.
Be Ready to Implement What You Learn
Jason Rowley believes that feedback is useless unless you are in a position to learn from it. This means being ready to act on it in order to use it to your best advantage. The feedback that you get needs to be actionable in this regard.
The advice you receive may well have a shelf life. This means that you need to adopt it in a hurry in order to use it to your best advantage. Some of it may be evergreen. It will be up to you to know how to prioritize and use this helpful counsel.
