Page 33 - Beginning Principal Booklet

Guides for Receiving Feedback

As a Sponsor you will often be on the receiving end of feedback – from
BPs or even Head Sponsors. If we are on the receiving end of feedback
we can help ourselves by encouraging the giver to:

1. Listen to the feedback rather than immediately rejecting or arguing
with it. Feedback can be uncomfortable to hear, but it may be helpful in
extending our self-awareness. People do have their opinions about
others and will have their perceptions of our behaviour. It can help to be
aware of those. However, do remember that we are all entitled to our
opinion and you may choose to ignore the feedback as being of little
significance or referring to behaviour which for some other reason you
wish to maintain.
2. Be clear about what is being said. Try to avoid jumping to conclusions
or becoming immediately defensive. If you do react in this way, people
may stop giving feedback to you and consequently you may fail to learn.
Make sure you understand the feedback before you respond to it. A
useful technique can be to paraphrase or repeat the criticism as a
means of checking that you have understood.
3. Check it out with others rather than relying on only one source. If we
rely on just one source, then we may imagine that opinion to be held by
everybody, or we may discount it as being biased. We should check it
out with others. They may have different experiences or opinions of us
which will provide a more balanced view and help keep a sense of
proportion.
4. Ask for the feedback you want but don’t get. Feedback can be so
important that we may have to ask for it, especially if it does not occur
naturally. Sometimes we get feedback that is limited to certain aspects
of our behaviour and we may have to request specific feedback on other
areas.
5. Decide what you will do as a result of the feedback. Each of us needs
an impression of how other people experience us as a means of
extending our self-awareness. In this way, feedback can help our own
development. When we receive it we can assess its value, the
consequences of ignoring or using it, and finally decide what we will do
as a result of it.
6. Thank the person for giving the feedback. We might benefit from it, it
may not have been easy for the person to give, and it is a valuable
practice to reinforce in any organization or relationship.

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