The Feedback Muscle

So you're good at seeking feedback from others, but so many other leaders do not seek feedback. Why do you think that is?

I think that it's their limitations in wanting to grow and feeling as if they truly have all the answers or also being afraid. I think there's something very valid to be said about hearing feedback isn't easy. It's not easy to be told these are areas where you have to be better at -- for no one. I think if we go back to our childhood years, that's what our parents did and that's what our teachers said to us.

It's hard to hear about your weaknesses from other people, especially people who work for you.

Absolutely, absolutely, exactly. So I think that it's a muscle that you have to truly work on, and saying it's okay to listen to feedback because there's room for improvement. And the way I like to think about it, it's like any habit you're building, unless you understand the changes you need to make, you won't have the capacity or the ability to do so if you don't have a pathway forward. And so I think with feedback, it's the same thing, it's going to take doing that extra push up, and it might be painful at first. But after you do one pushup, you can do more and more over time, and you'll be able to grow as a person.