Many Christians recall John 13, highlighting the lesson of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. Peter is generally highlighted as the person that misses the point, but in this story, Peter’s willingness to take feedback is an important note that is frequently missed. Many can conclude that despite his shortcomings, Peter’s willingness to take feedback was a primary reason Jesus said that Peter would be the “rock” that Jesus would “build my church (Matt. 16:18).”
Navigating feedback can be difficult for several reasons: past negative experiences, general distrust in the system or person giving feedback, posture, general fear of feedback being negative, or a fixed mindset that sees feedback as a sign of failure. Regardless of the reason, being a person that can navigate feedback well enables a person to have more sustainable relationships, improve job performance, and also helps a person find fulfillment in their vocation. Ultimately, navigating feedback can be seen as a holy practice for some or a space in which one can maximize opportunities in which they can improve.
The Feedback Loop is a five-step process that allows a person to evaluate the feedback and create an improvement plan. Understanding the Feedback Loop can help someone navigate feedback and make substantial improvements. The Feedback Loop is not always linear and does not only apply to one-on-one verbal critique; it can also apply to that ACSD session you sat in and thought, “We should implement that at our school,” a self-identified area of improvement, or an application based on a student survey.
1) Posture of a Learner
Again, feedback can be scarier, but taking a learner’s posture allows the learner to see feedback as a learning opportunity; regardless of whether the feedback is fair or unfair, the learner’s posture allows us to investigate the truth. Part of this posture allows the person receiving the feedback to have an unoffended heart ready to grow and ultimately serve.
In the book, Thanks for the Feedback, Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen identify three triggers that block our ability to accept feedback:
- Truth Triggers (feedback may lack substance)
- Relationship Triggers (the person who is giving the feedback)
- Identity Triggers (self-reflection)
Stone and Heen note that “triggers are obstacles because they keep us from engaging skillfully in the conversation (17).” They offer solutions such as acknowledging blind spots, identifying relationship systems, and developing a growth identity as practical ways to combat these obstacles.
2) The Interaction
This is the inevitable step; whether it is a conference reflection or performance review, we all will come to some interaction with a moment in which we have to engage in feedback. An important note is that, ultimately you should be the most invested in your growth and development, so be sure to treat the interaction as such:
- Ask clarifying questions.
- Active Listening.
- Take notes for reflection.
3) Create a Plan
Creating a plan sounds simple, but one of our biggest mistakes is taking a “cold turkey” approach and changing everything simultaneously. However, best practices note that we create a plan allowing us to make multiple incremental changes over time. For example, you find three things that you need to improve.
- Prioritize the change based on importance (sometimes timeline dictates what is important)
- Create an improvement plan with dates (note what improvements you want to see and when)
- Create re-evaluations and check-ins.
- Create a proficiency goal
Including the person giving the feedback on the plan is always advisable. Whether it be the person leading the workshop you went to (if possible), your supervisor, or the random student complaining about the dining commons. Tracking progress internally is excellent, but you always want to know how you track with the person giving the feedback.
4) Practice
Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth,” which is often what feedback feels like. That is why creating a plan and receiving feedback is not enough. When trying to implement the plan, it is important to remember that you are developing a new comfort zone by stepping in an unfamiliar space.
5) Re-Evaluate
Including the person giving the feedback on the plan is always advisable. Whether it be the person leading the workshop you went to (if possible), your supervisor, or the random student complaining about the dining commons. Tracking progress internally is excellent, but you always want to know how you track with the person giving the feedback.
Re-Evaluate allows you to see if the changes that you are making are effective. Re-evaluating also allows you to return to different parts of the loop to see how to improve.
- Take a look at your notes.
- Have you executed your plans and goals?
- Have you identified triggers and responded appropriately to them?
- Have you touched base with your supervisor to ensure that you are on pace for proficiency?
Whether the goal was proficiency or improvement, the feedback loop allows you to constantly engage in the growth process through receiving feedback. The beauty of the story of Peter is that he was a disciple, and we were able to track his growth throughout his story. Allowing our story to align with God’s design for our lives requires growth.
