Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/10.
Nothing stretches us as leaders like someone shining a spotlight on our blind spots.
And as an operations executive, you are no stranger to the feedback process. You probably get it regularly through review cycles and 360s.
A client recently said to me:
“I don’t mind feedback, I’ve learned how to deal with it. But it’s so hard to get clear feedback that I can do something about.”
Can you relate?
The fact is that some people are just less likely to give clear, direct feedback. This is particularly true when there are power dynamics at play. When worries about job stability are there, truth-telling is harder to come by.
That means you could be missing out on vital intel. But you can get an edge here.
In this episode, I’ll share six common places to get jammed up around feedback. I'll also share how to un-jam the environment, so it feels safe for others to give you powerful feedback.
Episode 10 – 6 Mistakes Operations Execs Make Around Feedback
Nothing stretches us as leaders like someone shining a spotlight on our blind spots.
And as an operations executive, you are no stranger to the feedback process. You probably get it regularly through review cycles & 360s.
A client recently said to me, “I don’t mind feedback, I’ve learned how to deal with it. But it’s so hard to get clear feedback that I can do something about.”
Can you relate?
The fact is that some people are just less likely to give clear, direct feedback. This is particularly true when there are power dynamics at play. When worries about job stability are there, truth-telling is harder to come by.
That means you could be missing out on vital intel. But you can get an edge here.
In this episode, I’ll share six common places to get jammed up around feedback. I'll also share how to un-jam the environment, so it feels safe for others to give you powerful feedback.
Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/10.
Hello Ops Execs!
The Importance of Feedback in Operations Leadership
There are few challenges as tricky as feedback.
Leading operations, you have a 360-degree view of the business. You integrate strategy with execution, integrating perspectives, functions, and goals.
Everyone has an opinion, and you can’t please everyone, right?
It can be exhausting to figure out what needs to happen.
Whether due to people-pleasing, perfectionism, or procrastination, it might seem easiest to put feedback off. Why not just tackle it all at once in the next review cycle?
But you wouldn’t have gotten to where you are if you weren’t good at leaning into the hard things. So, let’s dive in.
6 Feedback Fails That Could Be Ruining Your Reputation and How to Turn It Around
Here are six approaches to feedback that might be tripping you up, along with a practice to turn it around.
Mistake #1: Not being prepared for feedback. Sure, you’re head down and focused on providing continuity and consistency. When you receive feedback seemingly out of the blue, it can throw you for a loop.
Practice: Train yourself to always be ready for feedback. I’m reminded of the Pink Panther movies with Inspector Jacques Clouseau. He practiced martial arts. And he instructed someone to attack him at random times in his home to keep his reflexes and battle skills on high alert.
Obviously, this is extreme and silly. But the concept can apply here: Expect feedback anytime and have a plan for handling it. This leads me to...
Mistake #2: Waiting until things are ‘wrong’ to seek out feedback. When you don’t seek out feedback, you miss hearing what needs improvement and what’s already working well. It also leads to gaps in communication and a workplace where misunderstandings thrive.
Practice: Make feedback-fishing part of your routine. Make it a habit, like flossing or doing crunches. Get feedback from your peers, superiors, reports, and anyone who has insight into how you are showing up as a leader. You can craft open-ended questions like these to net useful, actionable insights.
- What have I done well in the past month, and how can I continue to improve?
- How would you rate my communication skills on a scale of 1-10? What changes could I make to make that number a little higher?
- What can I do to help you feel more empowered and motivated in your role?
Mistake #3: Plotting your response while they talk. It is hard to listen when you’re getting negative feedback. When you’re feeling self-conscious, the need to protect your reputation or self-esteem can kick in. When that happens, you might tune out what’s coming in and start drafting a response.
Practice: Put your response generator in ‘park’ and take some deep breaths. Focus on your breathing and stay present in the conversation. The more curious you can be, the less reactive you are, and the more useful the exchange will be to you.
Mistake #4: Not considering your context for feedback. The higher up the chain and more visible your position, the more open to feedback you are. Sometimes you get useful feedback from people who understand the lay of the land. Other times not so much. It is easy to misinterpret all feedback as equal.
Practice: Ask yourself broader questions, like What perspective does this person have that I’m missing? to sort out what is most true and useful from that which is not. You still get to choose what you will do with the feedback and how you can leverage it most wisely.
Mistake #5: Ruminating about feedback too much. You're up there making sure all the trains are running on time, and then there’s one squeaky wheel. How easy is it to let that hijack your day and send you down a rabbit hole replaying the past and what you wish you had done differently?
Practice: Know that over-thinking and solution-creating are not the same thing. Everyone gets wound around the axle sometimes. Learn to recognize when you’re caught in this. It’s up to you to master your mind. Hit pause. Shift gears, maybe get out for a walk, or talk with a confidante. Whatever it takes to shift towards something useful.
Mistake #6: Taking feedback personally. Here’s the big one. When you take feedback personally, you lose the chance to address the real issues at play. When you become defensive you miss the point. You'll likely appear dismissive or disrespectful and discourage future feedback.
Practice: Remind yourself that not every failure or misstep is not a reflection of your value. Feedback provides you with data points. And it gives you the chance to honor your team and build trust with them. Tune in to that fine line between taking things seriously and taking them personally.
How to Develop Your Growth Mindset with Feedback
The show Ted Lasso shows a powerful model for approaching feedback. The fish-out-of-water coach in a foreign land, Coach Lasso is a magnet for direct and indirect feedback. In one scene, a direct report is upset with him. He asks “How have I hurt you? What do I have to learn here?”
His openness in this tense scene is striking. He is both grounded and secure in who he is, and humble enough to invite what isn’t being said.
Whether you agree with the other person’s perspective or not, strong feedback muscles serve you greatly. It boosts your self-awareness and gives you thicker skin.
You’ll find where feedback resonates with your ideas of what you want to work on. And you choose the nuggets of learning that you’ll integrate into your development.
It’s time to build those feedback muscles. Get grounded in who you are. Be clear about what matters most to you and then let that lead the way.
You can’t stop the chaos, but you can change the game.