Embracing Feedback
Part of the process getting off the ground for NOLA Micro Schools, or any business, includes lots of meetings with different people in the community, building relationships and getting input.
One meeting in particular will never be forgotten. I scheduled a meeting with someone who came highly recommended in the city and realm of education. I walked into the meeting excited to share and build a connection. As I sat down, I was asked to talk about NOLA Micro Schools in 4 minutes. When I finished, there was dead silence. And possibly some scowling. For the next 10 minutes I listened to my pitch being torn apart. Piece. By. Piece. “I don’t know how your idea will ever reach sustainability.” “Have you even thought through how you would attract a diverse group of students?” “You need to get more clarity in what you are doing. I am confused. Are you a home school group?” “Why aren’t you going the charter school route?” “What is your focus?” “You need to do a lot more homework on this.”
The meeting was over in 15 minutes, with the conclusion of,
“Best of luck to you.”
As I walked out of the office, bewildered and with my tail between my legs a bit, I realized I had a lot of work to do. The feedback I received was asked for, helpful, and in fact, it was greatly appreciated. Don’t get me wrong, it was hard to hear, but it made NOLA Micro Schools better. It forced me to sit down and get a better understanding of what we are really trying to do. It made me take away a few things in particular.
- Feedback isn’t about you. Don’t take it personally. It is about creating something great.
- Get used to hearing hard feedback. You need it. IF you want to really improve.
- Why did it bother me? Because there was truth in it. I needed to do more research and be in the community more. I needed MORE feedback.
In the beginning of starting something new, your idea may be the most innovative and creative thing of the 21st century. But it’s not. Not yet. If you think the first iteration of your idea is your best, you are selling yourself and your product short, not able to reach your full potential. How do you take an idea, an inkling, a thought to something great? I believe getting feedback, being transparent and willing to take a risk are key players in this process.
I remember buying my first washing machine and scouring customer reviews for days before deciding on which brand and model. Why? Because I wanted to know what I was getting, and I wanted honest opinions. Not a sales pitch. That should be the same mentality for us as entrepreneurs and human beings. We should constantly be reflecting and assessing how we can improve and grow. In order to do that, we have to be willing to take feedback. The good and the hard.
When we were seeing if there was a need for something like NOLA Micro Schools in New Orleans, we started Pop-Up classrooms in which we tested various aspects of our proposed curriculum. At the end of each of those sessions, we took time to ask for feedback. What did you like? What did you not like? Did you have fun? Would you come back? Did this feel like school? How can we improve? Through their feedback, we were able to further refine our idea, get better and became clearer on what worked, what didn’t and what was needed. This is where it takes a community to create something. Why?
Feedback empowers community. It takes a community to support, challenge and encourage something to continually improve. Don’t limit yourself to seeking feedback from expected sources, such as experts in your field and people you know already support you. I have spent quite some time researching and reading about feedback, how to implement it and how to receive it. From experts in the field. However, I learned one of the most applicable things about feedback from an 8 year old. He shared a story about an experience he had in an art class. The first day the teacher presented sketching to the class, this student received an A+ on his work. The kid was deeply perplexed. He asked me what this meant. When I asked him what he thought it meant and how it made him feel to get an A+ on the first day with this style of art, he paused. Then he said, “Ms. Kim, if an A+ is supposed to be your best work, does that mean the teacher thinks this is my best work?” I responded, “Do you feel that this is your best work?” Again, he paused and then said, “How can this be my best work if this is my first time doing this? Surely I can get better.” It doesn’t get much clearer than that.
I hope year one of NOLA Micro Schools is not our best just like I know our first Pop-Up and my first pitches were not. I hope that at every year we are still thinking of ways to improve. Most importantly, I hope that we continue to surround ourselves with a community that gives us feedback to make us better. It can be hard to not take feedback personally, but it is not about one individual. It is about creating something that strives to reach its full potential, and us doing the same for ourselves throughout the process. I can’t guarantee that NOLA Micro Schools will grow into something successful that lasts forever, nor that I will always be the right person to be a part of it, but I can say that I will continue to put forth great effort to empower our community through their feedback. It is quite intentional when we say, it truly takes a community…
