- Hi, Rohan Musa here,
Founder and Director of Business Cut Through.
And in my role over many years,
I've observed a magnitude of ways
that people have received and responded to feedback.
So today, I want to talk specifically about
how to receive and respond to negative feedback.
Now, being surrounded by positive feedback feels good.
It reinvigorates you, and as a business owner,
it reinforces the actions you took,
and how you run things in your business.
Now, negative feedback on the other hand,
can feel like a slap in the face.
You suddenly second-guess yourself, your actions,
and where you're taking your business,
because your business is an extension of you,
your values, your work ethic.
It's a part of you.
Therefore, it's harder to remove yourself
from the criticism, so you take it personally.
You're getting defensive and upset at times.
And instead of acting on those volatile feelings,
you can choose to see the negative feedback
is something that will help you better you
and how you run your business.
Now, remember that giving feedback at the best of times,
can be challenging and difficult.
Telling an employee how they can improve themselves
can be nerve-wracking,
because you don't know exactly how they're gonna react.
So when it's the other way around,
being calm, taking your time,
and separating yourself from the emotions
that you're immediately feeling can be most helpful.
You probably took a lot for your colleague
to pluck up the courage and tell you where you went wrong
and where you could have improved.
Now, be grateful for that.
Be grateful for that courage
and their desire to want to help you better your business.
They aren't coming from an ill intentional place,
but rather one that wants improvement.
Here are the five things I like to do
when dealing with negative feedback.
You better listen.
Number one, stay calm and breathe.
By taking time to stay calm,
you avoid acting on your defensive, volatile emotions,
and you allow yourself to assist the situation logically.
And number two, thank the person for the feedback.
Being grateful for feedback is a necessity,
because you acknowledged that your colleague
just wants the best for the business,
and more importantly, you.
Even when you don't agree with the feedback,
thanking the person shows them that respect
and buys you time to respond, which is my next point.
Number three, take the time to respond.
Sometimes you can take a few hours to even a few days
to process what's being said,
and how you're being criticised.
So taking the time can be crucial to clear your mind
of any of those negative thoughts.
Many of the best leaders I've seen
resist to reply off the cuff.
They take time to measure their thoughts
and their responses.
That leads me to number four, get more insight.
By gathering more insight and information,
you have better ideas of where the person's coming from,
and their perspective on the situation.
Sometimes feedback is given by someone
who doesn't have all the facts,
or they have a vested interest in the outcome.
So, it's also a good idea here
to have a trusted group of people
who can give you unbiased, honest and direct feedback.
Now, that leads you to my last point, number five,
demonstrate that you've heard and acted on the feedback.
Show your staff that you're listening,
and that you are a good example for them to follow
by taking action on their feedback and their criticisms.
Now, this shows true vulnerability and true leadership,
that you're human, open to feedback,
and take action seriously.
Yeah, hopefully that helps you
next time you face some adverse feedback.
And remember, negative feedback
is good at raising awareness and personal growth.
Now, I work with a lot of CEOs,
directors and equity partners,
and if you would like to really sharpen
your leadership kills and your business skills,
go to businesscutthrough.com.au,
and schedule a call with me,
and we can have a chat and work out what works best for you.
See you next time.