Positive feedback is a valuable tool for improving your performance, motivation, and self-esteem. However, not everyone knows how to react to positive feedback in a constructive and professional way. In this article, you will learn some tips on how to receive, acknowledge, and use positive feedback effectively.
Positive feedback is a form of constructive feedback that recognizes your strengths, achievements, and efforts. It helps you to identify what you are doing well and how you can build on it. Positive feedback also boosts your confidence, morale, and engagement, which can lead to better results and satisfaction. Additionally, positive feedback can enhance your relationship with your manager, colleagues, and clients, as it shows that they appreciate and value your work.
This is one of the strongest tools for learning. It gives more signs to the receiver that they are on the right track, as well as boosting their confidence. Positive feedback is a key factor for the culture itself. It provides a positive atmosphere in the work environment, which makes people more engaged and happy
Sometimes, when someone praises you, you may feel uncomfortable or awkward. You may think that you don't deserve it, that it's not a big deal, or that they are just being nice. However, dismissing or downplaying positive feedback can be rude, ungrateful, or insecure. Instead, it's important to receive positive feedback gracefully. To do so, listen attentively and respectfully to the feedback giver without interruption or justification. Express your gratitude and appreciation for the feedback with a sincere 'thank you' and a smile. Reflect on the feedback and ask for clarification if needed. Share your thoughts and feelings about the feedback - whether it be pride, joy, surprise, or a challenge or goal. And avoid false modesty or self-deprecation; statements like "It was nothing" or "I was lucky" can undermine your credibility and confidence.
Indeed, taking positive feedback gracefully doesn’t come naturally to many. I’ve been there. ‘It was nothing’ resonates with me. I underplayed my achievements for a long time until people told me to own up n feel proud! Humility is good but one should take credit for what they deserve!
you may think giving feedback is much more difficult than receiving but what we see in the workplace is that people don't know how to receive the feedback properly. Sometimes they fall for impostor syndrome and they believe that their accomplishment was fully chance rather than hardwork. They doubt their skills, talents, or accomplishments
Sometimes, you may receive positive feedback in a public setting, such as a meeting, a presentation, or a social media post. In this case, you should acknowledge the feedback by thanking the giver publicly and briefly. If your work involved others, be sure to mention their contribution and thank them as well. It's also important to highlight the impact or value of your work, explaining how it helped to achieve a goal or create a benefit. Finally, if you're open to hearing more opinions or suggestions, invite feedback from others politely and openly.
We do all of these very well at BT! Saying Thank You is something we don’t do very often. We are encouraged to recognize the small things that make a big difference!
Positive feedback is not only a compliment, but also a learning opportunity. To use it effectively, record and review feedback regularly by writing it down and keeping it in a file or journal. Additionally, apply the feedback to your future work by replicating or enhancing what you did well and avoiding what you did poorly. Furthermore, seek more feedback from different sources such as your manager, colleagues, clients, or mentors. Finally, give positive feedback to others who deserve it to create a positive feedback loop that benefits everyone. Be specific, sincere, and timely when giving positive feedback.
Firstly, it is crucial to reflect on the feedback and understand specifically what you did well. It gives you an idea of the way you should go. Reflecting on what you did well helps reinforce those behaviors and can improve your performance in the future.
Feedback negative or positive should be received with an open mind. Having a growth mindset allows one to accept feedback graciously, and use it as a method to support one's growth