By Wade G. Morgan.
A series from Wade’s LinkedIn campaign, #HowIGotHere, to share tips centered on principles he believes has helped him advance in his career. His hope is that someone else finds them valuable, or knows someone to share them with. He recognizes that not all of these tips will apply to all people, and some may feel uncomfortable. That said, these are all tactics he’s employed at various times throughout his career.
Principle: Strive to be memorable Part I
Tactic: Sign your feedback (yes, your name)
Reason: Quality feedback is rare, yet so valuable.
Let’s set the stage first; context matters. My assumptions are: (1) the requesting individual & higher-level organization believe the ability to grow from feedback to be *business-critical*, and (2) you successfully communicate from a place of solution-oriented compassion.
If you are compassionate and they are hungry to learn, you should not receive blowback. If you cannot guarantee (1) AND (2), do not take this advice.
After noticing how often people failed to leave any feedback, let alone quality feedback when requested, I saw the opportunity to add value by doing so. My first realization came in school, not work when hearing the desperation in my teachers’ voices about submitting course reviews. People don’t sound desperate about things they have in abundance or don’t care about, so I figured they lacked in both.
Anonymity appeared to be the assumed vehicle for transparency, but I felt I could be more honest by being myself. By signing, I felt I humanized any subsequent conversation.
While uncomfortable at first, people have confirmed their appreciation of the thought I give to feedback.
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Wade G. Morgan is a writer, speaker, Account Executive at Airtable, and former member of LinkedIn’s Business Leadership Program, a rotational program for early-in-career talent. He is passionate about leadership, athletics, entrepreneurship, and tech, and loves helping people and organizations reach their potential.
For more info, check out his LinkedIn profile, previous articles, follow him on Twitter at @wadegmorgan, or visit his website, www.wadegmorgan.com.
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