Getting Better By Using Client Feedback

Getting feedback on whatever you are doing, is important. Driving a car, hitting a golf ball, or running a printing business. Especially important if you are trying to grow, and get better at what you do — every day. When we were young, we often got feedback from our parents, and then as we got older, we got feedback from our peers. Some was helpful and some, well, let’s not go there. Where and how do you get feedback today?

If you’re in professional sports, your feedback comes in a couple of different ways. It comes from how much playing time you get, from the size and duration of your contract, and often directly from the fans. When the fans boo Tom Brady … while it may sting, he says that it just reminds him that he has to work harder. If you are in a sales role, your feedback might come from how much your customers buy and the amount of your commission check, or how often they want to see you, and how well your support team works with you in the plant. If you are a business leader, what are some of the feedback mechanisms available to you? Perhaps it’s how well the company is doing under your direction, or your ability to recruit key people, and maybe it’s the client survey feedback you get each month.

How you react to feedback says a lot. You can hear it and learn from it, or you can brush it off, saying those providing it just don’t know what they’re talking about! You can either become argumentative or you can say thank you. Not passing judgement on either tactic, just saying that there are different ways to handle it. Leaders take feedback, filter it, and use it as fuel to drive their efforts. THEY ARE FOCUSED ON GETTING BETTER EVERY DAY and feedback is one of the ways it helps to keep that going.

What kind of feedback is helpful to you and how can you get it? Take inventory of how well you receive feedback and act accordingly. Start by asking others if they’d like any feedback on their behavior or performance and what would be the best approach in delivering it to them. You’ll find that they may likely reciprocate and that’s one way to get the ball rolling. Give these ideas a try, good luck, and let me know how you’re doing in the comment section below. Have fun.

Mike Philie can help validate what’s working and what may need to change in your business. Changing the trajectory of a business is difficult to do while simultaneously operating the core competencies. Mike provides strategy and insight to owners and CEOs in the Graphic Communications Industry by providing direct and realistic assessments, not being afraid to voice the unpopular opinion and helping leaders navigate change through a common sense and practical approach. Learn more at www.philiegroup.com, LinkedIn or email at mphilie@philiegroup.com.