{"id":524851,"date":"2020-04-29T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2020-04-29T07:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/?p=524851"},"modified":"2021-02-19T14:54:02","modified_gmt":"2021-02-19T14:54:02","slug":"how-to-receive-feedback-as-a-leader-even-if-you-dont-want-to-hear-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/2020\/04\/29\/how-to-receive-feedback-as-a-leader-even-if-you-dont-want-to-hear-it\/","title":{"rendered":"How to receive feedback as a leader, even if you don't want to hear it"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to receive feedback as a leader, even if you don't want to hear it<\/span><\/h1>\n

Part of being an effective leader is giving direction. You need to be able to lead your team and inspire their best output.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But an equally important element of leadership is being able to take direction\u2014and that includes receiving feedback.<\/p>\n

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Being able to receive feedback effectively and openly is a must for today\u2019s leaders. Welcoming feedback will not only make you a better leader, but it will also help your employees to feel heard, respected, and understood\u2014which makes for a stronger, more effective team. And while that\u2019s always important, it\u2019s especially important during times of change<\/a>, transition, or uncertainty\u2014like the one we\u2019re all experiencing now, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You know feedback is important. But let\u2019s be honest; receiving feedback can be challenging\u2014especially if that feedback is something you don\u2019t particularly want to hear. So, how can you move through that challenge and not only accept constructive feedback from your team, but use it as a springboard for growth\u2014for yourself and for your company?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Visualize receiving constructive feedback<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

When your employees deliver constructive feedback, you want them to walk away from the conversation feeling acknowledged and empowered\u2014and a lot of that boils down to your reaction.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If your reaction is positive\u2014including what you say, how you say it, and your facial expressions and body language\u2014they\u2019re going to feel like the feedback conversation was positive, and will feel empowered to openly give more feedback in the future. But if they read your reaction as negative, they\u2019re going to think twice about initiating any future feedback conversations\u2014and, as a result, you won\u2019t get the feedback you need to improve yourself and your organization.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The catch-22 here? When someone tells you something that\u2019s hard to hear\u2014like challenging feedback\u2014you\u2019re not always in control of your reactions. And even if your vocal response is positive, your involuntary reactions (like facial expressions or body language) might send a different (and not so positive) message.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Which is why, if you want to be more effective at receiving constructive feedback from your team, you need to get a clear idea of what those unconscious or involuntary reactions are\u2014and get them under control.<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s where visualization comes in. Visualization is a powerful thing; a recent study<\/a> found that people who visualized themselves working out over the course of 12 weeks gained nearly half as much muscle as people who spent those 12 weeks actually working out in the gym. And if visualization can help you build muscle without lifting a single kettlebell, it can definitely help you get better prepared for a challenging feedback conversation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stand in front of a mirror and imagine someone on your team delivering challenging feedback (or, even better, ask a coach or trusted colleague to role play and deliver that challenging feedback in real-time). What happens to your face and body? Do your shoulders tighten up? Do you cross your arms? Do you start to frown or scowl? Then, visualize how you want the conversation to go. What does your body language look like? Are your shoulders relaxed? Arms open? Do you have a wide, friendly smile?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Leveraging visualization to recognize any involuntary or unconscious reactions to hard-to-hear feedback can help you gain awareness around those reactions\u2014and, more importantly, will help you better control your reactions when you\u2019re having an actual feedback conversation with an employee.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Practice the pause<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

In a perfect world, you\u2019d be able to control how and when you receive challenging feedback; you\u2019d be able to schedule the conversation for a time when you were feeling rested, relaxed, and open.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But we don\u2019t live in a perfect world, and more often than not, challenging feedback will come from employees when you\u2019re not expecting it\u2014and potentially aren\u2019t in the best frame of mind<\/a> for hearing it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When an employee delivers feedback you don\u2019t want to hear\u2014especially if you\u2019re caught off-guard\u2014your first instinct will probably be to react. But your initial reaction to challenging feedback might not be your best reaction\u2014which is why it\u2019s so important to practice the pause.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When an employee delivers feedback that\u2019s particularly hard to hear, pause and take a deep breath. Instead of reacting to what they said, give yourself a moment to gather your thoughts and choose a response.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It seems simple, but taking that moment to pause can stop your initial reaction or defensiveness\u2014and instead, allow you to respond in a way that\u2019s constructive and affirming for your employee.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Validate your employee\u2019s experience\u2014even if you don\u2019t agree with them<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

At some point, you\u2019re going to have an employee deliver feedback that isn\u2019t something you don\u2019t want to hear\u2014it\u2019s something you just flat-out disagree with.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But the truth is, whether you agree with them is irrelevant. It\u2019s important to validate your employee\u2019s experience\u2014even if you think they\u2019re wrong. Validation is an important driver of performance; a recent study outlined in Metro<\/a> found that 48% of office workers consider positive validation from an employer a motivator for performing well at work.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And while validating your employees is always important, consider it especially important now<\/a>, when social distancing has emotions running high and many are feeling more raw and vulnerable than usual.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If an employee gives you a piece of feedback you don\u2019t agree with, acknowledge it, thank them for sharing, and let them know you\u2019re going to give their feedback some serious thought and consideration.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After that, one of two things will happen. You\u2019ll either a) realize that their feedback was actually spot on and adjust your behavior accordingly, or b) realize that their feedback doesn\u2019t ring true for you, in which case you move on.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But regardless of the outcome, validating your employee\u2019s feedback\u2014even when you disagree with it\u2014sends the message that you value and respect their opinion, which will make them more likely to give you helpful, constructive feedback in the future.<\/p>\n

Follow through<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

The most important part of effectively receiving feedback as a leader\u2014even when that feedback is something you don\u2019t want to hear? Follow through.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When employees see that their feedback is not only being heard, but being used to inspire positive change, they\u2019re going to feel empowered to continue delivering that feedback\u2014and you\u2019re going to continue to get the feedback you need to improve yourself as a leader and your organization as a while. On the flip side, if they feel like they\u2019re delivering constructive feedback and nothing is happening, it can discourage them from openly sharing feedback in the future.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, when a team member gives you a piece of feedback, listen\u2014and then take action. Follow through on their feedback, make any necessary changes, and then follow up to make sure they\u2019re on board with how their feedback is being implemented.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Follow through is important even if, for whatever reason, you can\u2019t take action on an employee\u2019s feedback (for example, if their feedback is something you disagree with or something that simply won\u2019t work from a logistical perspective). In those scenarios, make sure to follow up with your employee and take the time to explain to them why you\u2019re not moving forward with their feedback. That way, they feel acknowledged\u2014and know that, even though their feedback isn\u2019t being implemented, it\u2019s not being ignored, either.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Embrace feedback to become a more impactful leader<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Most leaders (and most people) don\u2019t enjoy getting tough-to-hear feedback. But the most effective leaders embrace that feedback\u2014and use it to make themselves, their teams, and their organizations better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How to receive feedback as a leader, even if you don't want to hear it Part of being an effective leader is giving direction. You need to be able to lead your team and inspire their best output.   But an equally important element of leadership is being able to take direction\u2014and that includes receiving […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":524853,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34356],"tags":[],"hashtag":[24490],"type-d-article":[23049],"maddybasic_maturity":[],"maddybasic_thematic":[],"partnership":[],"poool":[],"class_list":["post-524851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tools","hashtag-maddy101","type-d-article-longread"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524851"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=524851"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524851\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":525074,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524851\/revisions\/525074"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/524853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=524851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=524851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=524851"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=524851"},{"taxonomy":"type-d-article","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type-d-article?post=524851"},{"taxonomy":"maddybasic_maturity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/maddybasic_maturity?post=524851"},{"taxonomy":"maddybasic_thematic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/maddybasic_thematic?post=524851"},{"taxonomy":"partnership","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/partnership?post=524851"},{"taxonomy":"poool","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddyness.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/poool?post=524851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}