WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: Seek out feedback

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the

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<v Speaker 1>new world of work where location and hours are more

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<v Speaker 1>flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to seek

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<v Speaker 1>out more feedback, especially when you're working remotely. As anyone

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<v Speaker 1>who's ever sweated while waiting for a teacher to return

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<v Speaker 1>a test can tell you, getting feedback isn't always fun.

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<v Speaker 1>Putting yourself out there and waiting to hear what others

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<v Speaker 1>think of your best efforts can be mildly stressful at

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<v Speaker 1>best and downright terrifying at worst. However, plenty of research

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<v Speaker 1>and common sense tells us that actively seeking out feedback

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<v Speaker 1>can help us perform better at our jobs. People who

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<v Speaker 1>seek out feedback tend to be more creative, and our

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<v Speaker 1>scene is more effective by their peers and supervisors and

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<v Speaker 1>direct reports. No matter how advanced you are in your career,

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<v Speaker 1>there are always places to improve. Remote workers, in particular,

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<v Speaker 1>can become somewhat isolated and stuck in our own routines,

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<v Speaker 1>and we generally talk less to others during the work day,

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<v Speaker 1>so we get less casual feedback. In a recent episode,

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<v Speaker 1>I mentioned that managers should commit to doing virtual hallway

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<v Speaker 1>coaching impromptu guidance after any teachable event. But in case

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<v Speaker 1>here supervisor isn't listening to this podcast, well, you'll need

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<v Speaker 1>to actively seek out such feedback. The good news is

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<v Speaker 1>that doing so isn't rocket science. The best way to

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<v Speaker 1>ask for feedback is to ask, Yes, these requests can

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<v Speaker 1>feel awkward, but so what feel the nerves and do

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<v Speaker 1>it anyway? Send the person you'd like feedback from a

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<v Speaker 1>friendly email and let them know that you'd like to

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<v Speaker 1>set up a check in meeting to discuss your performance.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also just pick up the phone and call,

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<v Speaker 1>or ask if the other person can stay on the

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<v Speaker 1>line after your next video conference. While people tend to

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<v Speaker 1>most want feedback from their supervisors, don't discount colleagues. They

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<v Speaker 1>can see how you lead meetings or how you explain

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<v Speaker 1>ideas to clients. They might have thoughts, so ask as

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<v Speaker 1>you ask, remember that specific questions are most helpful. If

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<v Speaker 1>you were truly in hot water, you would probably know that.

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<v Speaker 1>So if nothing terrible is going on, the question how

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<v Speaker 1>am I doing? Is most likely to elicit a great

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<v Speaker 1>and while nice, that doesn't give you much to work with,

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<v Speaker 1>So instead try questions, like our clients seemed a little

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<v Speaker 1>distracted on that last call. What do you think I

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<v Speaker 1>could have done differently to keep him more engaged? Or

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<v Speaker 1>I'm working on making my presentations tighter. Could you look

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<v Speaker 1>at three slides with me and give me some pointers.

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<v Speaker 1>While feedback is generally helpful, remember that it is not infallible.

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<v Speaker 1>If you disagree with someone's suggestions, that's fine. You can

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<v Speaker 1>thank the person for the feedback and then do what

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<v Speaker 1>you wish with their thoughts. This is one reason I

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<v Speaker 1>suggest soliciting a lot of feedback. Any One comment is

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<v Speaker 1>what it is. If you keep hearing the same thing

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<v Speaker 1>over and over again from many people, well that's probably

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<v Speaker 1>worth investigating. So whenever you get feedback from someone, see

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<v Speaker 1>if you can arrange this more regularly. You and a

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<v Speaker 1>colleague might check in with each other every week to

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<v Speaker 1>compare notes. Hopefully your boss does regular one on ones

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<v Speaker 1>with you, but if she doesn't, well ask to have

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<v Speaker 1>them and come to each of these chats with prepared

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<v Speaker 1>questions or work in hand for her feedback. She'll quickly

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<v Speaker 1>see how useful these sessions are, which will probably encourage

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<v Speaker 1>more such behavior in the future. Hearing feedback it isn't

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<v Speaker 1>one hundred percent positive can be jarring, but rather than

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<v Speaker 1>fret about this, try to see it as an opportunity.

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<v Speaker 1>Olympic athletes and professional musicians get feedback all the time.

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<v Speaker 1>That's why they're so good at what they do. So

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<v Speaker 1>seek out feedback whenever you can, and your future self

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<v Speaker 1>will thank you. Probably your boss will thank you too.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura, thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to succeeding in the New Corner Office. The New

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<v Speaker 1>Corner Office is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get

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<v Speaker 1>your favorite shows.