4 Steps to Using Feedback to Improve Your Performance

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, FAAN

It is very likely that you receive feedback all the time in your nursing role. I recently had a student tell me that she had received the feedback that she was a poor listener. “My immediate response to this feedback was that I had been told that before and it is just who I am, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that it really was true.” Constructive feedback if applied well can lead to significant improvements in our performance but we have to be intentional in how we apply it.

Using feedback to improve our own performance is something that is rarely discussed in leadership forums. Rather, the focus in leadership development is usually on giving feedback. Some organizations today use 360 degree feedback on their leadership team members (feedback from peers, supervisors and employees) and require action plans to address areas of weakness. I can remember the first time that I was involved in working with leaders who had just been given their 360 degree feedback results. Many were quite upset with the feedback. One thoughtful supervisor spoke aloud and said, “For me, this is like a social mirror. There are things that I do that I believed nobody noticed but now I find they do.” The authors of recently released book Practice Perfect suggest that using feedback takes practice. Most people they observe practice deflecting feedback rather than using it. So here are four steps you can use to improve your performance by using feedback that you have been given:

1. Develop a plan to improve

When you have been given feedback such as my student in the opening scenario, the first step would be to assess what behaviors or actions would lead to improvement. This is where getting specifics when you are receiving feedback becomes important. If you are told you are a poor listener, ask for examples of when you did not listen well and what you could have done differently. You may be told that you never give people your full attention or that you don’t maintain eye contact when in conversation. Maybe you jump to conclusions before hearing the whole story or continue sitting in front of a computer typing while having a conversation.

2. Seek coaching to help hold you accountable

The authors of Practice Perfect suggest that one of the keys to getting people to use feedback is building a culture of tacit accountability. This is where seeking help from a trusted coach who works with you and can observe your behavior is helpful. A coach can watch you in action and often give suggestions about small adjustments in behavior that can make a big difference.

3. Practice the actions

Once you decide on new skills that you want to develop in response to feedback, it is important to get off “autopilot” and intentionally practice the new behaviors. This takes conscious control while you are practicing. If you are attempting to improve your listening skills, you may need to regulate your inclination to prematurely respond in conversations. You may even want to let others know that you are working on your listening skills and would appreciate their feedback if they don’t feel you have heard them.

4. Reflect on the outcomes

When you apply new skills or behaviors, it is important to reflect on their impact. Your interventions may be highly successful but sometimes you may find that your new behaviors are not effective. There may be other skills or behaviors that work better for you.

Using feedback well is something that requires practice and is a different skill than accepting feedback. Most people do get better at doing things with practice. The most highly effective leaders are coach-able. While positive feedback is wonderful, much of our greatest growth will come when suggestions are made to improve our performance.

Read to Lead

Lemov, D., Woolway, E. & Yezzi, K. (2012).Practice Perfect: 42 Rules for Getting Better and Better. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.