1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: Welcome to How I Work, a show about the tactics 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 1: used by the world's most successful people to get so 3 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:13,120 Speaker 1: much out of their day. I'm your host, doctor Amantha Imba. 4 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:18,239 Speaker 1: I'm an organizational psychologist, the founder of behavioral science consultancy Inventium, 5 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 1: and I'm obsessed with finding ways to optimize my work day. 6 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: Today's episode is another mini episode, and I want to 7 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: talk about why you need to stop asking for feedback 8 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:36,199 Speaker 1: and instead ask for advice. So a few months before 9 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:40,199 Speaker 1: starting my own business, I applied for a job as 10 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:43,599 Speaker 1: an innovation consultant with a global firm. I made it 11 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: to the last round of the selection process, where I 12 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 1: had to run a mock workshop for a group of consultants. Afterwards, 13 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: I asked for feedback on my performance and received some 14 00:00:54,480 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: damning and utterly inactionable comments. I left feeling related and 15 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: needless to say, I didn't get the job. But like 16 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,840 Speaker 1: many workers, I've been told throughout my career that asking 17 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: for feedback was important. It's how we learn and grow. 18 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:18,319 Speaker 1: But according to research, feedback has little impact on our 19 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: performance and over one third of the time actually negatively 20 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:29,040 Speaker 1: impacts performance. For women in particular, feedback can be unhelpful. 21 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: Research by Professor Shelley Coral and Caroline Simmered from Stanford 22 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: analyzed over two hundred performance reviews across three high tech 23 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:42,160 Speaker 1: companies and a professional services firm. Compared to men, women 24 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 1: received feedback that was less likely to be tied to 25 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: business outcomes and was also more vague and thus challenging 26 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 1: to implement. Now, one reason why feedback can be ineffectual 27 00:01:56,240 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: is because it is backwards looking. So when giving feedback, 28 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: we anchor ourselves in the past and reflect on past behavior. 29 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: This makes it harder to focus on the future and 30 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,400 Speaker 1: imagine what could lead a person to perform well. So 31 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:14,080 Speaker 1: for this reason, feedback tends to be less actionable compared 32 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:18,520 Speaker 1: to asking for advice. Now, in some other research from 33 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:22,679 Speaker 1: Harvard Business School, they had two hundred people in the 34 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:25,080 Speaker 1: lab and they were asked to provide input on a 35 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: job application for a tutoring position. Participants had to either 36 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:33,520 Speaker 1: provide feedback or advice on the letter. Those who were 37 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:37,320 Speaker 1: asked to give feedback tended to give vague comments along 38 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:40,720 Speaker 1: with general praise. But in contrast, those who were asked 39 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 1: to provide advice were more critical and actionable in their comments. 40 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:49,359 Speaker 1: So specifically, advice givers suggested thirty four percent more ways 41 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 1: to improve the application and fifty six percent more ways 42 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:58,239 Speaker 1: to improve in general. The researchers suggested that advice giving 43 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 1: leads us to thinking about few to actions that the 44 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 1: person asking for advice could take. As such, when asked 45 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:08,799 Speaker 1: to give advice, we're more likely to think critically and 46 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 1: specifically about strategies the person could do to improve. But 47 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: it's not just as simple as asking for advice. I 48 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:20,800 Speaker 1: want to give you a few specific ways to optimize 49 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:25,279 Speaker 1: the advice that you receive. Okay, So first, be specific 50 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: in the type of advice you are seeking. So when 51 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:31,799 Speaker 1: asking for advice, specifying the category of help you want 52 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:34,480 Speaker 1: will make it more useful. For example, are you looking 53 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: for a sounding board for an idea, or are you 54 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: looking for methods that you can improve your communication skills, 55 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: or perhaps you're looking for alternative solutions to a problem 56 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:48,120 Speaker 1: you're facing. So when preparing to ask for advice, reflect 57 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: on what type of advice will lead to the biggest improvement. 58 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:53,840 Speaker 1: This will also help you decide who is the best 59 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: person to approach for the advice. Okay, my second tip 60 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:01,280 Speaker 1: or piece of advice been asking for advice is to 61 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:04,280 Speaker 1: create a personal board of directors. So just like a 62 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: company's board of directors lends their experience and wisdom to 63 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 1: the organization they serve, a personal board of directors plays 64 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:14,040 Speaker 1: the same role for an individual. So it's a strategy 65 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: that I first came across when I had Columbia University 66 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: strategy professor Rita McGrath on the show. So it's something 67 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:24,359 Speaker 1: she did a few years ago. So she explained to 68 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:27,360 Speaker 1: me that it's much more intense of a relationship than 69 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:32,279 Speaker 1: a standard sort of networking relationship, and what they say 70 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 1: and what they say to reader really makes a material difference. 71 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:39,600 Speaker 1: But it doesn't have to be time consuming in nature. 72 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:42,839 Speaker 1: So she might only talk to her personal board of 73 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: directors a couple of times a year, but for her 74 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:49,000 Speaker 1: really big decisions. So to assemble a personal board of directors, 75 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:53,479 Speaker 1: aim for cognitive diversity, people that think really differently. Look 76 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 1: for people that have different experiences and expertise, so that 77 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 1: you can be strategic in who you go to. Four 78 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:02,719 Speaker 1: different types of ad ice giving. Okay, final thing, don't 79 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: ask multiple people for advice on the same issue, which 80 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:10,000 Speaker 1: might seem counterintuitive because when asking for advice, we're often 81 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 1: told to seek multiple points of view, but research has 82 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,160 Speaker 1: found that this leads to us being more likely to 83 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:20,479 Speaker 1: avoid applying the advice or discounting it. In addition, if 84 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:23,720 Speaker 1: you share with your advisors that you're seeking multiple opinions, 85 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:26,599 Speaker 1: it makes you appear less competent because the person assumes 86 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:30,160 Speaker 1: you probably won't listen to their advice. So instead, reflect 87 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 1: on the problem or topic you're seeking advice for and 88 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:36,600 Speaker 1: consider who is the best based person to provide good advice, 89 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:40,160 Speaker 1: rather than spreading your net wide. So the next time 90 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 1: you're looking to improve an area of your work or 91 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:45,120 Speaker 1: your life, resist the temptation to ask for feedback and 92 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,200 Speaker 1: instead be specific on your needs and who is best 93 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:52,680 Speaker 1: served to give you actionable advice. That is it for 94 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:57,680 Speaker 1: today's show. If you found it useful, and maybe share 95 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: it with a friend or a coworker that might be 96 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:04,720 Speaker 1: looking for advice. And if you are enjoying How I 97 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:06,920 Speaker 1: Work and you're not one of the hundreds of people 98 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,159 Speaker 1: that have left a review in Apple podcasts, I would 99 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 1: be so grateful if maybe today's the day that you think, Ah, 100 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: I'm going to leave a review for How I Work. 101 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 1: It's super simple, just go to the podcast and scroll 102 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 1: down to the bottom and then you can click on 103 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:24,640 Speaker 1: the star rating or you can even write some lovely 104 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:27,679 Speaker 1: words to leave a review there. I read every single 105 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:30,120 Speaker 1: one and they really are a highlight of the day, 106 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:32,640 Speaker 1: so thank you for everyone that has done that. That 107 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:35,240 Speaker 1: is it for today's show and I will see you 108 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:36,239 Speaker 1: next time.