Five Ways To Get Honest Feedback At Work

People who can receive honest feedback from peers and colleagues at the workplace are fortunate because they get directions for how to improve their performance and develop themselves. Peter Bregman, best-selling author of “18 Minutes”, “Leading With Emotional Courage”, and “You Can Change Other People” suggests five ways of asking colleagues or managers at work for honest feedback and getting the truth from them:

The first way is by being clear that you are only looking for honest feedback. Let them know that you made yourself ready to hear their feedback, you are not looking for positive feedback but helpful ones, and you will be thankful for hearing the truth no matter how hard it is.

The second way is to focus on the future and ask what should be done to improve what you are doing. A great way is to ask for advice instead of feedback. Doctor Amantha Imber, founder of behavioral science consultancy Inventium and host of “How I Work”, a podcast about the habits of the world’s most successful people, emphasizes that feedback has a little effect on our performance, and over one-third of the time it negatively affects performance. While feedback is about a past behavior that you’ve made, advice is a recommendation and guidance for what to do in the future. Asking for advice instead of feedback increases your performance over time.

The third way is to probe more deeply by asking specific and narrow questions that can provide you with detailed direction and guidance on what needs to be corrected in the future.

The fourth way is to be receptive and listen without judgment. Never be defensive or try to explain why you did certain things or behaved in a specific way. Instead, listen without interaction for whatever feedback they provide you be or positive or negative. Be thankful for their advice and grateful for their help.

Write down and takes detailed notes about what they say. Nod and acknowledge every bit of information they provide and ask for details and elaboration wherever possible. Writing down their advice show high interest in listening to their advice and they will share more honest feedback.