Self-Correcting Feedback
Do you need feedback? Absolutely! We all need feedback. We all need perspective about how we perform, both on the job and in the course of an interview.
What is feedback?
My definition after reviewing multiple definitions. Feedback - Information given to communicate satisfaction or dissatisfaction with an end result of improvement for the receiver.
On A Personal Note:
Given my definition above let’s look at self-correcting Feedback. This is a term I coined years ago concerning myself. In my late 20’s when I first had an opportunity to manage people, I had two mentors. They were VERY good at their job. They gave me lots and lots of feedback. One of my mentors was soooooo good, she brought me to tears every time she opened her mouth and gave me feedback. She was brutal. In her efforts to sharpen me, and strengthen me and, rub off the rough edges, she would say very hard things for me to hear. That’s feedback.
The other mentor on the other hand, was kind and would tell me great things about myself. That was feedback too! Together, in tandum they laid an incredible foundation of leadership within me. They helped me become the woman I am today, mentor, teacher, leader.
In that process, I learned how to evaluate myself. To self-correct. I learned how to see myself in situations, to see my performance, to see how people responded to me and I began to make adjustments and grow. That is my recommendation for you too. Can you give yourself honest feedback about your performance, about your style, about your work ethic, about your skills, about your abilities, about…
Can you give yourself honest feedback that moves you to change and to grow? Self-correcting feedback can be brutal, if you are really honest with yourself. I am, by no means suggesting that you become your worst enemy. Let’s focus on the interview for a moment, though this will work in every arena of your life.
The Interview:
Set some goals before walking into an interview. When you come out of the interview. Evaluate the interview. Don’t allow yourself to say you don’t know how you did. You do know! You will know. Have an expectation that you will know how well or poorly you performed in the interview. What did you do well? List at least two things you did well. What did you do poorly? List at least two things. What would you do differently if you could interview again? How you answer these questions is the beginning of self-correcting feedback. What you do with the information will determine whether you grow and improve. That’s feedback!
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POSTED IN: Feedback, On A Personal Note, Post Interview, Preparation & Planning
5 opinions for Self-Correcting Feedback
Mary Emma Allen
Jul 12, 2007 at 9:43 pm
Good points, Darlene. And let’s make sure the feedback we receive or give ourselves isn’t so negative that it constantly pulls us down. Give ourselves honest feedback, but don’t belittle ourselves when situations don’t go the way we’d like. See how we can improve, but be aware of what we did correctly. Also, when giving feedback, try to sandwich the negative between two positives.
Darlene McDaniel
Jul 12, 2007 at 10:55 pm
Hey Mary Emma, Thanks for visiting!
I actually believe people are too soft on themselves. Not that we should be so “negative” we become ineffective. I believe we are not tough enough in most cases with ourselves. We let our self off the hook most of time, rather than being accountable for the “stupid” things we do. As a result when someone else gives us feedback, we crumble and take it personally.
The best model for people to employ is to ask, What am I doing well? What do I need to change or What are my growth opportunities? What would I do differently if I could do it again? Be honest with yourself, and then do something with the feedback. More to come about this piece in my next post!
So, What Are You Going To Do About It?
Jul 13, 2007 at 6:52 am
[…] so you got feedback or you gave yourself feedback. What do you do with the information you recieve? Well, like most people, you could ignore it. You […]
Isa
Jul 18, 2007 at 4:17 pm
The only feedback I get is, she was not right for the job and I’ve done the same job for 10 years.
Darlene McDaniel
Jul 18, 2007 at 9:41 pm
Hi Isa - Thanks for visiting Interview Chatter. Interesing feedback to get. Obviously, you were right for the position. Do you get an annual appraisal? What do you do?
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