7 Tips for Accepting Feedback | Jack Canfield

Hi, I'm Jack Canfield, and today I want to talk to you about how to accept feedback, whether it's positive or negative, and use it to dramatically improve your results in everything you do. There's a famous quote that I love from Kevin Blanchard that says feedback is the breakfast of champions. And that's because feedback tells you what you're doing right and what you're doing wrong and what you need to work on or change to get better results. This is invaluable information. However, far too many people never ask for feedback, and many work really hard to avoid it at all costs. Why? Because they're afraid of what they're going to hear. It's all too easy to take negative feedback personally and see it as a criticism of yourself as a person, instead of seeing it for the priceless gift that it really is. Because feedback is a gift, it's actually there to help you, not hurt you. And when you take it to heart and use it to fix what isn't working and do more of what is working, you will get better results and be able to achieve your goals much faster and much more effectively. And that will make you a more confident, more capable and more successful person. So here are a few tips on how to ask for and gracefully accept feedback and then use it to improve your performance and effort. Everything you do. My first tip is to change how you feel about negative feedback. Everyone I know prefers positive feedback, such as praise, rewards, promotions, and so on. It feels good to know that you're on the right track. I get that. But negative feedback, on the other hand, can be a bitter pill to swallow. Few people enjoy being criticized or hearing how something they poured their heart and soul into isn't producing the results they wanted or expected. But negative feedback can be every bit as valuable as positive feedback, if not more so. Negative feedback tells you where improvements need to be made and what those improvements should be. Now, companies will pay consultants millions of dollars to provide them with this kind of information, but you can get it for free if you're simply willing to ask for it and then listen to it from a neutral position. If you'd like to discover how to contribute your full abilities to the world, I want you to take my leadership quiz, which is going to give you some amazing feedback about you as a leader, whether it's in a company or it's in your family, just click the button on the screen and you can take that quiz. You'll get the feedback. Now, my second tip is simply to be willing to ask for feedback. Just Ask for it. There are many people in your world right now who have valuable information that can help you improve your performance, but they're not going to give it to you unless and until you ask for it. Why? Because they're usually as uncomfortable giving you the feedback as you are in hearing it. They don't want to hurt your feelings or risk your disapproval. So if you want to get honest and open feedback, you're going to have to ask for it, and you're going to have to make it safe for the person to give it to you. In other words, don't shoot the messenger. Don't argue with them or try to justify your past actions or tell them why they're wrong. Just say thank you for being willing to share that with me. And that brings me to my third tip. Be grateful for the feedback you receive. When people give you feedback, they're spending their own time and energy to provide you with information, whether it's personal or professional, that you need to perform better. And like I said, it's a gift and it may be a risk for them. So even if you disagree with what they tell you, just say thank you for caring enough to share that with me. Otherwise, that may be the last bit of honest feedback you ever get from them. Now my next tip is to make sure you're asking the right people for feedback. For example, if you want to know what your manager thinks about your performance at work, the best person to ask isn't your fellow colleagues or your friends or your spouse. It's your manager. Same goes if you want to know what your clients or customers think about the products or services you offer, don't ask your friends and family what they think. Ask your current clients and customers. Now, you can also ask your prospective clients and customers about what you offer. Now, once you know you're asking the right people, my next tip is to ask for the right feedback. For example, if you ask people a question like how am I doing? The answer you receive will be along the lines of well, good, great, fine. But even if they say you're doing great, what does that really tell you? What specific aspects of what you're doing are great? Are there any areas where you're doing not so great or where they would like to see you do things differently? This is the information that will help you identify ways to improve your performance and your results. So here's a question I recommend you use when asking for feedback. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate my Then you fill in the blank. Performance. This interaction this workshop, this product, me as a manager, me as an employee, me as a father, our relationship, or whatever it is you're asking for feedback on. So so on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate whatever? Now, if anything's less than a 10, you want to follow it up with another question, what could I or we do to make it a 10? The answer to this question is where the real value comes. This is where you get the best information and ideas on how you can change your performance to get better results in the future. Now, my sixth tip is to make asking for feedback a regular ritual. For example, I like to check in with my wife on a weekly basis to get her input on how I'm doing as a husband and a boss because she works at my company with me as well. Now I ask her, how would you rate the quality of our relationship this past week? If her answer isn't a 10, I ask her, what would I need to do to make it a 10? Then I focus on doing that in the days ahead because I want to be the best husband I can be for her. And every Friday, I'll ask some of my assistants the same two questions because I want to make sure I'm being the best boss and leader I can be and that they are happy, motivated, and feeling appreciated in their job. Now, finally, my last tip is to make sure you learn from the feedback you get. Write down all the insights you gained from the experience in a file in your computer or on a journal, and read through this file often. Also ask the other members of your team or in your family to also ask for feedback as well in the Make a list under the heading Ways to Make Things Better Next Time. Now, if the feedback you receive shows that you've failed in some way, that's okay. It's still valuable information. Don't beat yourself up over it. Just acknowledge you did the best you could with the awareness, the knowledge, and the skills you had at the time. That's all anyone can do. Then clean up any messages that have been created, deliver any communications that are necessary to complete the experience, including any apologies or regrets that might be due, and then move on, grateful that you now have valuable information that will help you avoid making those same mistakes in the future. As a reminder, I release new videos every week, so click the subscribe button and the bell icon to receive notifications. When I release new videos Now, I'd like to hear what you have to say. What are your thoughts after watching this video? Where in your life do you feel you need to ask for feedback on so you can improve. And if you feel inspired, please leave a comment below with who you're going to ask. I'd love to know the answer, and I'd love to read what you have to say. So thank you for watching. And remember, nothing in your life will change for the better until you do. Now, if you found this video helpful, make sure you like it, share it with a friend who may need it, and subscribe to my channel for more videos like this one, and for some additional resources on how to ask for and use feedback to improve your results, visit my website@jackhamfield.com and thanks again for watching.