💭Feedback is overrated and should not be your main source of growth.

If you want to really grow, this is what you should be looking for instead.👇🏼

(No 5 is my favourite and most profound).

First, let's define feedback: 

Somebody's opinion about your behaviour with the intention that you change how you conduct yourself in a specific area for the person to have better interaction with you. 

❌ What's wrong with feedback and how to fix it ✅

#1 Feedback in companies is derivative of their culture and goals 

❌ When giving feedback, the org focuses on its goals and aspirations. Not yours. You are not the organisation you work for and can also have other ambitions to grow.

✅ Think through where you want to develop. Which skill do you want to grow? If possible, create your surveys and ask questions to help you succeed in areas you would like to. Those that show the uncomfortable truth. Talk directly and follow up if things are unclear. 

#2 People might not know what to expect from you

❌ In companies, rarely everyone knows the full extent of other people's roles. Let alone proactively ask about it. This leads to feedback being generic, unclear or only partial. 

✅ Share regularly what people can expect from you. Mention it in the survey or during a conversation. Find your own measures about the impact you make. 

Refrain from relying on others to say if you did a good job. 

Hold yourself to your standards (higher than others).

#3 Feedback is somebody's opinion

❌It will be full of projections, more about them than you. Because of that, you are free to disagree with it and go your own way. I believe every feedback holds something valuable, yet it might be hard to find due to the noise.

✅ Don't take feedback personally - it's based on a small sample that does not define you as a human. Talk it through with a person you trust or a mentor. Give yourself permission to listen carefully and not react to it.

#4 Valuable feedback is tough to find

❌ Throughout my life, I have met very few people who would give me feedback that helped me grow. It is rare to get quality feedback that lets you see more. 

✅ Share the quality feedback you would like to receive. When someone asks for it - use radical candour. https://www.radicalcandor.com/radical-candor-not-brutal-honesty/

Surround yourself with people who give a damn, are there for you and are not afraid, to be frank.

#5 Hear your voice first

❌ Feedback is about external voices. Opinions, perspectives, expectations. Often it's a lot of noise.

✅ Instead of searching for external validation, find it in yourself. Listen to your intuition and do the work regarding the skills you want to hone, the knowledge to learn, and what makes you tick and happy. Work your way to that consciously. 

Charles Bukowski once said: 

"Some people like what you do, some people hate what you do, but most people simply don't give a damn."

To grow: 

👉🏼 Don't guess, measure.

👉🏼 Set your own standards and be known for them.

👉🏼 Give the feedback you would like to receive.

👉🏼 Listen to your gut.

👉🏼 Don't rely on budgets, invest your own 💵

Give yourself the quality you want, and take ownership of your future.