Here is a brief excerpt from an article written by George Anders for Forbes magazine where he is a contributing writer. To read the complete article, check out a wealth of resources, and obtain subscription information, please click here.
Photo: Mark Hillary via Flickr/Creative Commons
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Feedback frightens me. It probably frightens you, too. When we pour intense energy into a project, we don’t want blunt opinions of our (supposedly) finished work. We crave pure praise from bosses, colleagues or customers. Even minor criticisms can be hard to take. Harsher responses feel like a kick in the gut.
So how can we sidestep those anxieties? How can we embrace what’s valuable in other people’s comments while still keeping our self-esteem intact? In the first decade of my career, I didn’t have a clue. The breakthrough came in my mid-30s, when several dozen people helped me repair a book draft that once seemed unprintable — and ultimately became “Merchants of Debt,” a much-praised bestseller. Those interactions left me with a whole new approach toward soliciting and using feedback.
The key insight: stop thinking of feedback as a grim, red-ink report card on completed work that you can’t change. Instead, reposition your interactions with others so that feedback arrives earlier and more informally. That way, you’ll be getting take-it-or-leave-it suggestions that can help you reach the finish line faster and more effectively.
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These days. I’m letting more people comment on work in progress, instead of waiting until everything seems perfect before sharing it. The payoff: shorter development times, higher output and greater public support for the finished results.
It’s a lot easier to do good work when other people pitch in. That way, feedback becomes an everyday source of strength, rather than an occasional torment.
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According to George, “I’ve been writing about dreamers, idealists and rascals since 1981. Look for my articles and essays these days at Forbes magazine, forbes.com, quora.com and the LinkedIn/Influencers program. Other writing homes over the years have included The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg View, and Fast Company magazine. I’ve also launched a travel blog, written five books, and spun out several hundred bedtime stories for our kids. In 1997, I shared in the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.
“I grew up on the South Side of Chicago. As an adult, I spent time in New York City, London, Cambridge MA and Washington DC before settling in northern California. I’m a slow but stubborn hiker. Adventures over the years have included trekking in Nepal, Peru and New Zealand, as well as making it to the top of Mt. Whitney, Mt. Fuji, and Cerro Chirripo. Some of my favorite writers include Thomas Boswell for sports; William Manchester for biographies; Caroline Baum for financial commentary and Michael Craig for poker.”
To check out his other articles, please click here.