Most of us remember critical feedback. Criticism is jarring and threatening, so it tends to stick in our brains. Most of us dismiss positive feedback, sometimes people think of it as people being nice and sometimes people assume that it’s sarcasm. We have been conditioned not to pay attention to positive feedback. Positive feedback is an invaluable way to learn about your strengths and growth areas.
Create a space (digital or physical) where you save the praise you get, anything from thank-you cards to written notes in your evaluations to comments in email threads. When you get mixed feedback, tease apart the positive and negative aspects, and put the positive ones in your kudos folder as well.
Set a time in your calendar to periodically review and reflect on what you’ve saved. Ask yourself: What patterns or themes can I identify? How could I use my strengths in new situations? What else can I learn about my strengths, and who might provide that perspective? It may feel immodest or uncomfortable to bask in the positive feedback you get. But think of it like this: Someone has gone out of their way to highlight what you’re good at — so use it.
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