The Right Way to Get Feedback

When I was going through the certification process to become a coach, I was assigned a supervisor who listened to my taped conversations with clients and evaluated my performance. I understand the value in this activity and couldn’t recommend a better process. But, the grading component had me nearly catatonic. My fear of receiving a check minus was so profound I became deaf to whatever good things the supervisor said.

Being a glutton for punishment, but also an avid learner, I’m coming up to another supervisory session soon for coaching teams and relationships–the newest category I’m adding to my repertoire. I’ve been present for my colleagues’ evaluations, and they’re not that hard to hear. But something about being graded has me shaking.

Here’s what I’m going to do about it. I’m going to make a request. Instead of check, check plus and check minus for the skills that are present, well done, or handled incorrectly or marginally, I’m going to offer the supervisor my own grading system. Instead of a check I want to hear “yes”–that skill was used during the coaching. Instead of a check plus implying that there was a higher level of skill than merely usage I’d like to hear “well done!” And, if a skill was mishandled or not handled with proficiency, instead of check minus I’d prefer to hear, “not really”.

I know! It’s all semantics, but how things are worded has impact. Who doesn’t prefer hearing that there are “challenges” rather than “problems”?

By the way, the New York Times has instituted its own new evaluation scoring for restaurants. Now, instead of Excellent, Satisfactory, etc., the ratings are: Don’t Miss!, Worth It, In a Pinch and Don’t Bother.

Reading those inspired me to create my own system, too. Please visit my blog and share your suggestions for getting feedback. Have you discovered a way to make feedback a little easier to swallow?

How Are You Using Your Only Non-Renewable Resource?

I heard Mark Tannenbaum speak at a networking lunch recently and he put something I already knew in a way that caught my attention. He said that time is our only non-renewable resource. Money can be replaced when you run out. What business owner hasn’t experienced this phenomenon? Energy can too–just rest and more will come. But time is its own thing. Once it’s gone, that’s it.

Made me think of the Billy Crystal play I saw a few years back called 700 Sundays. Check out my blog to read his analogy on time, it really helped me grasp how precious it is.

The good thing about being an entrepreneur is you do get to choose how to spend your time – which can be both sobering and invigorating.

Regards,