Received feedback that you didn’t like? Here’s what to do next.

I was recently working with a coaching client who wanted to focus on progressing to the next level in his organisation.

Senior managers had told him that he was reliable and delivered great work, but they couldn’t see his strategic thinking and capabilities.

It was a frustration as he already felt he was operating at a more senior level and saw himself similarly to those already there.

We spent several sessions together and got some really great results that made him feel ready to pop his hand up for a more senior role. Here are the key things we focussed on (and don’t worry he was happy for me to share this case study):

Being more strategic can mean doing things slower

Up until now, he had stood out and been rewarded for getting stuck into work straight away, churning out high volumes of materials and delivering quality work at pace.

That’s why it was jarring to hear that he might need to do the opposite to get to the next level. If he continued to operate in this way, he was missing the opportunity to take a step back and really look at what he was being asked to do from a strategic perspective.

Instead of jumping straight in, he had to learn to ask more questions, look at the bigger picture and constantly consider if what was being proposed was the right way forward.

While doing so initially felt like he was pushing back or taking more time than usual, he soon saw that this approach meant that colleagues weren’t just giving him tasks, they were asking for his opinion and advice as well.

Feedback can be hard to hear but it’s invaluable

Hearing that he wasn’t ready for the next step when he felt he was, did not go down well.

It made him frustrated and initially it seemed like he wanted to use our sessions to vent.

After getting some frustrations out, it became clear that the feedback that was shared with him was actually the key to him taking the next step, but the barrier was that he didn’t know how to address it in a practical sense.

While feedback can be challenging to hear at times, it always pays to ask the person who has given it to you for more detail or practical examples.  

Anything worth achieving won’t happen overnight

A favourite saying of mine is ‘comparison is the thief of joy.’ Whenever I find myself feeling insecure or like I’m not where I should be, it’s usually because I’ve been comparing myself to others.

It was definitely the case in this instance. One of my client’s biggest frustrations was that he had seen other peers, that he felt he was on an equal footing with, take the next step before him.

While competition can be healthy, it can also be an unnecessary distraction. The reality is that everyone reaches goals and milestones at different times.

If you feel like you can’t wait to reach your goal or you’re frustrated that it hasn’t happened sooner, maybe it’s not the right goal for you. As frustrating as it can be, anything that is worth achieving is unlikely to be something that will happen quickly!