By Marjorie Mauldin

Here are four tips on how to really listen and receive feedback on your job performance.

  1. When you receive positive information about your performance, be sure to ask if there are other opportunities like this that you can work on in the future. Also, thank your team leader or supervisor for giving you these opportunities.
  2. When it is challenging feedback, listen with a curious attitude. Don't shut down emotionally. Think of it this way: If you were lost and asked for directions, you would want to hear the solution. Or, if you were in a competition and someone offered tips on how to improve your performance, you would listen and ask questions about implementation.
  3. In either case, ask for specifics regarding the information. After all, you can best change your approach or solution if you know what to change. If your team leader feels that you could be a better team player, for example, ask what that means and if this perspective is general or a singular one. Perhaps, your colleagues don't feel that you volunteer to help others succeed or that you don't always share information in a timely fashion. These are important characteristics of a high performer and pretty easy to put into practice.
  4. Your most important role when receiving feedback is to stay focused and calm and to listen. Listen with an open mind for ways to improve yourself on your job and as a person. After all, few jobs are forever, and you want to enter your next position with improved skills and competencies.

Marjorie (Margie) Mauldin is president of Executive Forum, Denver, Colorado, and author of the book Feedback Revolution (margie.mauldin@executiveforum.net;  info@executiveforum.net; iLoveFeedback.com).  

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