Embracing Growth: “The Importance of Feedback”

Erick Barrera López
3 min readMar 24, 2023

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In today’s fast-paced world, personal and professional growth has become crucial for success. A key factor in this growth is receiving and utilizing feedback effectively. In “Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback”, authors Douglas and Sheila delve into the challenges and benefits of feedback, teaching readers how to make the most of their guidance. This article will discuss the importance of feedback, as presented in this insightful book, and how embracing it can lead to significant personal and professional development.

The three types of feedback

Douglas and Sheila identify three distinct types of feedback: appreciation, coaching, and evaluation. Each type serves a specific purpose, and understanding the differences can help individuals process and respond to feedback more effectively.

  1. Appreciation: This type of feedback is meant to motivate and encourage. It acknowledges the hard work, dedication, and achievements of the individual. Appreciation is essential for maintaining a positive atmosphere and fostering a sense of belonging.
  2. Coaching: Coaching aims to provide guidance, support, and advice for improvement. It helps individuals identify areas where they can grow and offers strategies to achieve their goals.
  3. Evaluation: Evaluation feedback assesses an individual’s performance against specific criteria or benchmarks. It can be positive or negative and often carries consequences such as promotions, demotions, or raises.

Why feedback matters

Feedback, when delivered and received well, can be transformative. It plays a significant role and professional growth, allowing individuals to:

  1. Gain self-awareness: Feedback helps individuals understand their strengths and weaknesses, providing a clearer picture of their performance and areas of improvement.
  2. Improve skills and knowledge: Receiving feedback in the form of coaching provides valuable insights and techniques to refine skills and enhance learning in a particular area.
  3. Boost motivation and engagement: Positive feedback, such as appreciation, can increase motivation and job satisfaction, leading to higher productivity and engagement.
  4. Develop stronger relationships: Open communication and constructive feedback can help build trust and rapport between colleagues, managers, and employees.

Overcoming resistance to feedback

In some chapters, Douglas and Sheila emphasize that receiving feedback can be challenging, often triggering defensiveness or negative emotions. However, recognizing and addressing these barriers allows individuals to shift their mindset and become more receptive to feedback.

  1. Separate the message from the messenger: Focus on the content of the feedback, not the person delivering it. This can help reduce emotional reactions and promote objectivity.
  2. Identify your triggers: Understand the factors that make feedback challenging to accept, such as feeling threatened, judged, or misunderstood. Acknowledging these triggers can help you manage your reactions and remain open to feedback.
  3. Seek clarification and ask questions: This can help ensure a better understanding of the message and facilitate more effective action.

Conclusion

“Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well” offers valuable insights and techniques to help individuals embrace and benefit from feedback in all aspects of life. By understanding the different types of feedback, recognizing personal triggers, and developing strategies for processing and responding to feedback, individuals can unlock their full potential for personal and professional growth. In a world that continually demands adaptation and improvement, embracing feedback is essential and a powerful tool for success.

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Erick Barrera López
Erick Barrera López

Written by Erick Barrera López

A leader turns dreams into realities, doubts into certainties, and obstacles into bridges to success | Engineering Manager | github.com/erbalo

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