How to Get Genuine Feedback and Grow as a Leader

A note to young leaders.

Are you genuinely seeking feedback?

Your team will almost always be reluctant to share any negative feedback about you, even if you ask for it.

And you should ask for it.

Sincere feedback, even when you disagree with it, is immensely valuable to your maturity as a leader.

And when you do ask for it, ask not: “And do you have any suggestions on how I can improve?” That’s too open-ended and gives an impression of being cursory, perfunctory or insincere.

Ask instead: “I want to keep improving as a leader. Can you please give me at least one thing I could do better?”

And then genuinely listen – and make sure to pause for a few seconds before you respond.