It’s everywhere.
To grow, you must ask for feedback.
Feedback is the key to unlocking your potential.
Not getting feedback is like not checking your weight when dieting.
Stop asking people for feedback.
People are terrible at giving it. So stop asking.
Here’s what you should do instead.
Ask For Advice, Instead of Feedback.
Feedback, by its nature, is backward-looking. When you ask for it, what you’re really asking is to review what you have done wrong in the past. The result is usually something like “Stop doing this or that” or “You did great.”
It is not actionable. More often than not, it is extremely demotivating. You should ask for advice instead.
Here’s how to do it right:
- Specify the type of advice you want
- Be specific about your situation
- Ask the right person
Let’s break down each of these steps.
Specify the type of advice you want
First, you must understand what kind of advice you need. The goal is to get advice that will be helpful to you in your goal of getting better or fixing something that’s not working.
Tell them what you are looking for:
- An Alternative solution to a problem
- A sounding board for an idea
- How to improve a skill
Provide context in your ask. Instead of saying “What do you think of my sales numbers?”, ask “So far, I tried [this] and [that], but haven’t hit my goal. What would you have done differently?”
Be specific about your situation
Prepare to be super specific about your ask. Generic questions like “What could I do to improve my presentation skills?” invite generic answers.
Focus on a particular moment or a particular move or skill. Narrow your ask.
Ask:
- What could I do to make my title slide more engaging?
- My swing was off today. What could I do to improve my stance?
- I never know how to answer the “Tell me about yourself” question. How can I structure my answer better?
When you go specific, you ask the other person to think about a more in-depth answer. This almost always results in more actionable advice.
Ask The Right Person
You may be tempted to ask multiple people for advice. And it may be the right move in some circumstances. But receiving too many pieces of advice will likely lead you to ignore all of them.
When looking for the right person to ask for advice, make sure to:
- The advisor has walked the path you’re on
- The advisor is not too far in front of where you are
- The advisor has your best interests in mind
Find the right person, ask for advice, and follow it.
Bonus: Let Them Know About Your Progress
People love to hear how you’ve acted on their advice and what progress you’ve made. It makes them feel happy and fulfilled.
Provide them with that feeling by keeping them abreast of your progress.
Today’s Action Steps
Here’s what you can do to get the right advice today:
- Find an area you want to improve
- Identify a specific skill or task that you could improve
- Find the right person who has experience in that industry.
- Ask for advice. Provide context first, then ask a specific question.
Once you have the advice, act on it and keep them informed.
Outro
If you want to improve, stop asking for feedback and ask for advice instead.
I’ll leave you with this observation:
People hate giving feedback. But they love giving advice.
—
And that’s all for this week.
See you next Monday.
P.S. I’d love to hear what challenges you are facing in your business. What can I write about to help you personally?
Reply to this email to let me know.