I remember hearing that for the first time early in my career and thinking, really? Why doesn’t it always feel like a present?
For a lot of us, the idea of getting feedback can strike fear in our hearts. Our past experiences may have led to this… perhaps it wasn’t handled in the best way. Maybe because it was critical. Could be the intent of the person delivering it wasn’t supportive. Or, maybe the feedback was better than we thought it would be, but we were scared anyway.
I’ve come to realize that thinking of feedback as a gift can change our perspective. Our careers. Our personal lives. When we truly think of it as a gift, we are open to hearing what we are doing that works really well, or things that can be improved. Someone is (bravely) taking the time to share with us what they think. Granted, some people may not deliver feedback in the way that we can best hear it. Or maybe their intent isn’t exactly altruistic (and believe me, you can feel that). But, nevertheless, they are giving it to us. The good news? We can choose to apply or delete.
What if we were able to gratefully accept feedback, knowing that we have the opportunity to keep doing the things that work, and to stop or modify doing the things that get in the way of our own effectiveness? What if we could learn something that would help us make immediate changes today, instead of many years down the road?
So, instead of thinking of gifts only in terms of packages, gift cards, and fruitcakes, let’s add feedback to that list. It may be the best present that we will receive this season.