If you were asked what skill you’d use to survive the zombie apocalypse – what would you use? Would you negotiate? District them with jokes? Would you knit your way out? It was the exercise that caused the most laughter at the latest away day I ran. Exploring what left-field ways teams would use in the race for survival. I love it because it’s light-hearted and fun, it gets people talking and engaged and it also subtly builds better connections between teams. But what really struck me that day was the power of feedback.
Do You Know?
How often have you been told (whether its prompted or unprompted) what your impact is at work? What your unique value is? How you make a difference? You might have been thanked, you might have got compliments, had a good annual appraisal but have any of them gone into the detail of your impact? Asking outright can lead to surprising results and it’s something we all need to do more.
Don’t Take it for Granted
If something goes wrong, someone’s often quick to tell us. If you’ve had a detrimental impact on customer service, fundraising, marketing, finance, service delivery or the supply chain, it’s important that it’s resolved and rectified. But we don’t often apply equal weight to celebrating success, whether that’s good leadership, strong teamwork or any other of the myriad of ways we can add value. When things go well, it’s easier to take them for granted – we don’t often take the time to interrogate and understand the “why” behind what’s going well and in turn acknowledge the work of those who’ve made an impact.
Impact Can Be Nebulous
Impact is also one of those nebulous things that’s sometimes hard to pinpoint. You might have a very obvious impact in your leadership through a crisis but your ability to remember birthdays might have an equally profound effect on the team. Asking colleagues directly (and anonymously if it’s easier) for direct feedback can be uncomfortable but it’s incredibly powerful – and a great way to get new insights into how you support others.
Going freelance has forced me into it. After each project I now use a light-touch feedback form that specifically asks what my impact has been. It’s one of my favourite things about finishing a project, and it’s made me realise in all my employed role to date how little opportunity there was to ask or understand my impact in any of the roles I’ve held. It’s been incredibly powerful.
What’s Your Genius?
At this particular event people shared positive feedback into their colleagues’ impact, and there were powerful insights, heartfelt statements and beautiful drawings. You watched as people took them in and you could see the impact of this feedback immediately – that people felt seen. It was proof that we have more impact than we think, that that impact isn’t always in the areas we think and that it’s hugely validating to hear that we’re appreciated, whatever role we hold.
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash