Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Trinity of Truth Tip: Negative Feedback is an Opportunity for Improvement


In my old job, I sometimes took on the role of internal quality auditor to help prepare the company for external (customer-driven) audits. Many of the "negative" findings from an audit were called “Opportunities for Improvement” or an OFI.  After identifying the opportunities, ideas on making improvements were discussed.  The intention was never about pointing fingers or making people feel bad, but about improving efficiency. The improvement could have been changing a process, revising a workflow or developing a new communication plan. It’s the same with self-improvement work.

Uncovering and clearing out our “negative” stuff—and we all have some—is how we make room for the new life skills discovered on our self-improvement journey. Self-improvement (or self-help) starts with self-awareness.  You could think about self-awareness work as the (always friendly and helpful!) auditor pointing out areas in need of guidance, that’s it.  Self-awareness does not mean to be self-critical; it simply means getting to know your process for life.  Understanding how you process life experiences gives you an opportunity to improve your life, by looking at your life more objectively.

Try looking at negative feedback you get from others as an exercise to become more self-aware.  Maybe there’s some truth to what’s being said, maybe not.  It doesn’t matter.  Think about how what’s being said makes you feel.  See if you can step away and look at the experience as an opportunity to learn something about yourself. Are you taking something personally?  Are you feeling defended? Can you simply observe without reacting? Can you turn a “negative” situation into an opportunity for personal growth?

The negative experience could be an invitation to “take the high road” or a lesson on how not to be so affected by the behaviors of others.  It could be that something someone said triggered an emotional reaction on your part because there’s some truth to what was said.  Either way, work to be objective, like the auditor.  Examine situations by looking for “opportunities for improvement” in all your interactions.  One helpful tip in gaining objectivity is to watch the scene, conversation, or experience like a movie—step back and away so you can see the whole picture.

If we can look at life’s hardships and difficult relationships as opportunities for growth instead of complaining, blaming, and judging ourselves and others, we find many opportunities for improvement!
 
“One of most useful projects you could undertake is to change how you feel about negative feedback.  Think of it as “improvement opportunities.”  ~ Jack Canfield