How to Get More (and Better) Feedback at Work

As a collective workforce, we’re all wanting more feedback. Without it, we don’t know where we stand, how we rank, what we need to improve, or where we’re hitting it out of the park.

 

“Employees are hungry for feedback from their leaders, managers, and peers,” according to Gallup. “They want to gain insights that advance their abilities and future potential. And more than ever, feedback is pivotal for engaging employees. Gallup data show that when employees strongly agree they received ‘meaningful feedback’ in the past week, they are almost four times more likely than other employees to be engaged.”

 

So why aren’t our managers and peers giving us maximum feedback? Well… it may be important, but it’s also awkward, time-consuming, and often not the thing that’s on fire.

 

So if you’re tired of sitting around waiting for feedback to find you, let’s talk about strategies you can use to open the spigot and let that feedback flow freely.

1. Ask better questions

Ever been around a dry-diapered, just-fed, tightly-swaddled baby who won’t stop crying? You know that baby needs something…you just don’t know what it is! Also, you want to pull your hair out.

 

Asking, generally, for more feedback may create a similar experience for the person you’re asking. They need more direction. And they want to rip their hair out.

 

So how can you be more specific in your ask? How can you lead your boss or peer toward offering a piece of feedback that’s meaningful to you in the moment?

 

Instead of “can I have more feedback please?” try asking questions like:

• Do you have any feedback on that presentation I gave in today’s team meeting? I’m focused on enhancing my presentation skills this year.
• Is there anything I can be doing to better support our clients?
• Is my communication feeling clear and effective? Is there anything I can or should be doing differently?

These are the types of questions that provide the would-be giver of feedback with more direction. And they bump up the likelihood of your receiving more feedback without your having to ask for the dreaded F-word by name. 

2. Probe for meaning

When you do receive feedback (because it is, after all, a gift) make sure you extract maximum clarity from it.

 

If your boss suggests you strive for greater clarity in your communication, ask if they can provide an example of both (a) when and why it wasn’t clear, and (b) what a clearer message would sound like. 

 

Without specificity, feedback often isn’t actionable....

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