18 Sept 2011

Importance of feedback

A warm hello to you from Career Insider.

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My last update was quite some time back -- relocating the family once again, moving countries, taking on a brand new job with my present employer, understanding an entirely new business and the culture of the workplace, and then implementing major change initiatives has meant a lot of time and effort at work.

I will write more frequently and share real life career insights and experiences with you.

Today, I will write about asking for feedback and how important it is for your career development.

I recently assumed responsibility for a department and was aware that many of its customers were not happy with the service. In fact, many were not even aware of the responsibilities of the people working in that area and as a result misjudged their performance.

I could see a lot of opportunities for improving the area but if this went on, it could negatively impact the career development opportunities of the team members.

This is not a very uncommon situation. So, what is the best way of handling this?

Rather than giving feedback myself, I created an atmosphere of trust between myself and the team by first listening to their issues and concerns. We talked about it over a few weeks and discussed how to improve things. I then encouraged the team to meet their key customers and seek feedback on simply two things -- what is working well and what needs to be improved. I wanted them to hear first hand from their customers rather than me telling them about it.

The list they came back with was impressive. It opened their eyes to what others had to say. Some did not know how complex their role was. Others gave genuine feedback on what they needed to do to improve themselves and their area. Several congratulated them on taking this bold step. A few key supervisors who have a say in their career development acknowledged how positively they took on the feedback.

I now have very motivated team members who are taking responsibility for their actions and have created an environment where we can work jointly to improve them and their area.

Asking for feedback is important for your career brand. You can then use the feedback to develop a good career management plan.

All the best!

Anoop

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Written by Anoop Chaudhuri
Career-Change-Mentor.com

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