Feedback.
It is one of those things that many of us know is beneficial to help us develop and grow, but despite this, we choose to avoid it.
Obtaining feedback is feared. It can make us feel uncomfortable, threatened, and defensive. But by not taking advantage of feedback, we are depriving ourselves of a useful resource.
As tax professionals, a lot of the skills we need to are learnt through experience and practice alone, rather than taught to us in a classroom. And this makes feedback even more valuable to us.
Feedback doesn’t need to be this big scary task that is dreaded. In fact, we should embrace it, and see if for what it is – an opportunity to help us grow and develop.
I hear you. Easier said than done, I know, but still doable.
To reap the full benefits of obtaining feedback, you should:
- Adopt a ‘growth’ mindset
- Ask the right questions
- Make it easy for people to give you feedback
- Properly reflect and act upon feedback received
Want to learn how? Take a listen to this episode!
Oh, and equip with the knowledge learnt in this episode, I challenge you to ask for 5 pieces of feedback in the next week.
You’ll Learn:
- Why you should ask for more feedback
- Why feedback will help you develop quicker
- 10 tips for obtaining good quality feedback
- How to better act on the feedback you receive
- How having a better mindset will improve the value you get out of feedback
- Tips to improve your feedback mindset
Summary
1. Feedback helps to improve skills quicker than without feedback; this is particularly important given that as many skills that that tax professionals need are developed through practice and experience alone. Without development of these skills will be slowed
2. Constructive feedback can be difficult to hear but it is the most beneficial to learn from. Positive feedback is motivating and encouraging, but you can also use this to improve by understanding why the feedback is positive
3. By having a growth mindset, you can improve the value you get out of your feedback – understand that feedback is an opportunity for improvement
4. To improve your mindset, get as much feedback as possible, and diversity who the feedback is from. The more feedback you get, the easier it will become to see the opportunity for growth
5. Remember – it is down to you as the feedback receiver to get as much as possible out of feedback
6. Let the person who is giving feedback speak. Don’t be defensive or argumentative, but be interactive and ask questions to clarify what the person giving feedback means
7. Aim to obtain feedback as quickly as possible after the task, and ask specific questions rather than just asking for feedback
8. Feedback can be obtained in an informal setting and shouldn’t be limited to formal reviews
9. Make sure you reflect upon feedback and think back to previous feedback given on a similar task to make sure you improve upon the previous attempt