Listening to Feedback

Last week I advised you all to ask questions when you don’t know something so that you can get better at the work that you do. Another way that your work can improve is through feedback or constructive criticism. If you don’t know what you are doing wrong, you won’t be able to do it right. Admittedly, it can sometimes be difficult to hear the ways in which you could use improvement, and your ego may feel a bit bruised. If you get defensive or make excuses however, you may not truly absorb and benefit from the lessons to be learned. I have found that the best thing to do when receiving feedback is to listen and reflect upon it and then implement a specific plan in order to make improvements. In the words of Maya Angelou (and one of my former project managers), “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”