The Best Way to Improve.

If you are looking for ways to improve, whether it is in business, your personal life or your health, there are a number of different places to get the information you need.  You can get it online from the vast resources of the internet, you can learn by trial and error or you can ask those who have done what you want to do how they did it and follow their path and advice.

Clearly, it is not getting the information that is the issue when you want to improve yourself.  The more pressing matter is what information to use and to determine how if you are using it properly.  For both of these goals, you can use feedback from other people to help you.

Feedback

Feedback is when you receive advice from someone when you are doing or have done something, and it can be both positive or negative.  Remarkably, neither is superior and both are necessary.

Positive and Negative

An example of positive feedback would be when you are doing something correctly and are encouraged to keep doing that.  Think of it like the navigation system on an airplane.  While the plane is flying, it must constantly course correct as it continually being pushed off course by wind.  The navigation system gives positive feedback to the pilots to let them know that they are on the right track and just need to make occasional minor adjustments to stay on track.

Negative feedback is pointing out that you are doing something wrong and that you should fix it.  This is just as valuable as positive feedback because it tells us what is not working.  We certainly need to know what is not working just as much as what IS working to improve.

Consider the Source

An important point to consider when receiving feedback is the source.  Will they give you honest feedback or try to spare your feelings.  Also, is the person that is giving it to you qualified to do so.  This can be as simple as asking for directions.  As long as the person you ask knows where you want to go, they are qualified to give you the information.  On the other hand, if the person either does not have the correct information or is clearly not qualified to give advice on a topic, perhaps that feedback is best ignored or at least questioned.

If a person who is single gives relationship advice, it might be best to consider the value of the information.  A broke friend giving investment advice would be another area to exercise caution.  There are exceptions, however.  In the case of sports coaches, very often the best coaches are not ex players but trainers who understand the theory of the sport they are advising on.  They have made it their life’s work to understand the nuances of the game and how to teach it to athletes who are much more physically capable of playing at a high level.  Ex players often make poor coaches because they are so good at the game and cannot relate to players that are not as good as they are or were.  They often cannot understand how other players do not have the same abilities they have.

Look For Patterns

When you are asking for feedback, it is valuable to look for patterns that keep appearing.  If it is positive, you can keep doing it.  If it is negative, you can course correct when you see the pattern forming to improve.

Feedback is Neutral

Both types of feedback should be viewed as neutral even if the information pains us to hear.  We do not tell a baby to stop learning to walk because they continually fall over.  In the case of the airplane, we do not tell the pilot to turn around and come back because he has gone slightly off course.  In both cases feedback is given to continue to advance, whether it is learning to walk or getting to a destination.

If feedback is positive, you simply can continue to do what is working, but what if the feedback is negative?  You can start by acknowledging that you did the best you could and survived the experience.  They you can write down everything you learned that you could use in the future.  Then regroup with the lessons you learned, make the necessary corrections and keep moving forward.

Once you master the art of asking for feedback, you will improve at a much higher pace than if you attempted it alone.