Feedback Is My Favorite “F” Word
In the day and age of trying to improve programs, feedback can be the new “F” word. It can be uncomfortable, even hurtful, but it is the very ingredient we need to grow our programs, and more importantly to thrive as managers.
Feedback doesn’t have to be scary though. Navigating through it in a healthy manner can help you grow as a person, a manager and a program builder. Here are a few quick steps to help you take the Fear out of Feedback.
1. You have to ask for it. If you never ask the people whom you manage for feedback you are making a grave mistake. Especially if you manage volunteers. Volunteers have the luxury of voting with their feet. Meaning, if they don’t like something about your program, they can just stop showing up. You end up wracking your brain as to why your program seems to be a revolving door and keep spinning your wheels because you are making assumptions that everything is fine. Send out an ANONYMOUS survey, provide a suggestion box, whatever you do, in order for your program to grow and strengthen, you must ask for feedback.
2. Prepare yourself mentally. After you have sent out a survey or checked the suggestion box, prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for what you may read. I used to just open the results and start reading them only to be hurt to the core or be simply shocked. Then I found myself for the next 30 minutes trying to recover from it. Have a set time to read your feedback so should in case you need some time to recover you have it. Sometimes feedback can come at you like a sucker punch, but if you set aside time and prepare yourself mentally, you can avoiding any potential blows by learning to “duck” (like in boxing when you see a punch coming and duck so you don’t get punched in the face or gut).
3. Feedback isn’t necessarily a reflection of you. Sometimes the feedback that you receive can be more about the organization or (in the case of managing volunteers) how others treat your team members. Volunteers can believe that you, as their manager, are the bee’s knees, but they may not be treated so kindly by others in the organization. Most volunteers, because they do not want to speak ill of someone, or may feel as though they are tattling, will just stop showing up. If you never get that feedback, you can’t find win / win solutions for both the volunteer and others in the organization. Most times, it is a misunderstanding, but if you don’t get to the bottom of it, it can snowball into a larger issue.
4. Sometimes the feedback is about you. Ok. Here it is. Sometimes the truth hurts. Sometimes you will get feedback that cuts like a knife, even though it is given constructively. Many times, especially if it anonymous however, it won’t be constructive, so be prepared for it. There are two things you can do with this; you can either allow your feelings to be hurt and wallow in it, or you can take it for what it is, test to see if there is any validity in it and make changes to improve. This is a sign of growing; they are called growing pains for a reason.
5. The great thing is, sometimes the feedback is about you. The beautiful thing is, not all the feedback will be negative. There will be many people who sing your praises, compliment you and speak very highly of your efforts and your program. Sometimes, even unsolicited! When you get those, let them be a reminder that you are doing a good job, and if you are doing the absolute best that you can with what you have, it is enough. Print those out and put them up on the wall next to your desk, or tuck them away in a “Good Things” file on your computer so you can refer to them on a day when things may not be going so well and you need a dose of encouragement.
6. All feedback is valuable: If you send out a survey and anyone fills it out, be grateful for it. The fact that people took time to provide you feedback is fantastic. Some people are simply just waiting to be asked to share their thoughts, others may have not even thought of it, but since you asked, they think “Well why not?” A lot of people won’t share their thoughts, so be grateful to those who do, even if it is negative or harsh. Feedback is just the tool. How you use it, what you do with it, is up to you.
7. Communicate the results: Part of enticing people to give their feedback is acknowledging that they have been heard. A lot of people won’t fill out a survey because they feel it isn’t really going to make a difference. So be sure to communicate out that it has been received and they have been heard. Then, any suggestions that can be implemented, DO SO. Any great suggestions that can’t be acted upon immediately, communicate that it was a great idea to be considered in the future. Whatever you do, acknowledge it.
8. Remember, you can’t please all the people all the time. The thing about feedback is everyone has an opinion and you can’t please all the people all the time So, you have to be sober. You can’t let the praise get to your head and you can’t let the criticism get to your heart. Keeping in mind that you asked for feedback for the sake of improving is absolutely vital. Looking at it through this lens will help you sift through those suggestions that can help you improve as a leader (even the harsh ones) and improve your program. These are the stepping stones that will help both you and your program rise to the next level as you continue to strive for excellence.
If you are nervous or uncomfortable about receiving feedback perhaps a few of these tools may help:
- Jump on a monthly Lunch and Learn to ask questions and chat about it.
- Listen to the From the Suggestion Box Podcast
Nicole is a Panamanian-American, workforce development and community engagement specialist, published author of Game On! Relentlessly Pursue Your Dreams and the 101 Note-taking Affirmation Journal Series, world renowned motivational speaker, bloggerpodcast host of From The Suggestion Box; Navigating Feedback The Good The Bad and the Say Whaaatttt??? and dancer. She earned her Bachelor’s degree via a Division I full-ride track scholarship and after graduating, she founded Step It Up! Inc., a non-profit dance organization that allowed her to perform for audiences nationwide and used dance to teach teamwork to kids in after school programs.
Her experience in sports entertainment, radio, TV, the performing arts and social services has spanned nearly 20 years covering major markets nationwide including Chicago, Houston, Miami, LA and NY. She has danced and cheered for four Professional and Semi-Professional sports teams, has prepared nearly 1000 interns to enter the workforce and has inspired crowds upwards of 2000.
She has been a proud mentor for the Tessitura Network’s Career Accelerator program for the past four years which is a free program dedicated to diversifying Arts leadership. She has the opportunity to mentor young arts professionals of Latino, Black and Asian decent to help them not only find their voice, but express it in the board rooms in arts organizations.
She was a contributing writer for The Life of a Single Mom for two years and has been published in several industry journals including The Volunteer Management Report, Human Capital Leadership Magazine and The Chronicle of Philanthropy Magazine.
As a nod to her belief in continuous education, in 2021 she earned her certification in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace from the USF Muma College of Business.
She has received several accolades to include being named in the Marquis Who’s Who for professionals, receiving an Emerging Leader Award from ALIVE Impact Awards for Volunteer Engagement Professionals, awarded the Amplifying Voices Award from United Latinas, being listed as one of WLRN’s “Local Women Who Inspire You”and being selected as one of Legacy Miami’s Most Prominent and Influential Black Women In Business and Industry of 2019.
She is passionate about giving back to her community. serving as a former Board member of theAssociation for Leaders In Volunteer Engagement, Ageless CHIC Magazine theArts and Business Council of Miami.
