Have you had someone give you difficult feedback? Receiving that type of message is hard and you may feel defensive. If you can, remember that this is just information that you are receiving and you don’t have to respond right away. Just say thank you for the feedback. Take the time to walk away, think about it and decide if what you heard is true for you. This feedback is a clue to the perception that others at work have of you and it may be accurate or it may not be. It could be a blind spot that you were unaware of and it may be worth looking at it to see if you need to address it.
Feedback doesn’t only occur in a work setting. People in your life will always give you feedback whether you have asked for it or not. Family and close friends are especially good at telling you what they think you should do. How do you respond to their feedback? Do you take the feedback without saying anything? Do you react emotionally and say whatever comes to mind? Is the feedback they are giving you about them, but they are projecting it onto you? You may find that it is easier to push back when you have known the person for years and they aren’t your boss.
Although the feedback may be difficult to hear, there could be something to pay attention to as you take it in. Would making a change be good for you? If you make this change, will it give you energy or take it away from you? Will it help you stand out or force you to conform and be like everyone else? The bottom line is that you get to decide what you want to do with it. If you feel that a change is warranted, then you can create actions to address it. If you believe that what you are doing is okay, then you get to make the decision to keep doing it. The choice is all yours to make.