Managing Feedback Like An Olympian

Leadership Lesson: Managing Feedback Like An Olympian

This month’s Leadership Lesson is authored by Sarah Mehrens.
 
The 2024 Olympics may now be history, but there’s still much that can be learned by taking a closer look at these world-class athletes and how they operate. The Harvard Business Review recently published an article on How to Manage Feedback Like An Olympic Athlete, which highlighted the invaluable role of feedback not only in an athlete’s physical performance but also in personal and professional growth.

For many of us, feedback is often perceived as a challenge to our self-worth, but in reality, it is a powerful tool that, when viewed like an Olympic athlete, can help us actively pursue our goals.

At Ardeo, we value personal and professional growth, and our successes, both individually and as a company, are deeply intertwined with our internal communication. The better we are at receiving and giving quality feedback to each other, the better we can operate, and the further we can grow.

So, how does one manage feedback like an Olympian? In his article, Michael Gervais outlines four key points:

Build a circle of advisors whose feedback you trust.

1. Let improvement be your North Star, guiding every action and decision.
2. Advisors can see your blind spots, hold you accountable, help you construct your practices and habits, and focus your efforts.
3. Keep your circle small and ensure each person is committed to supporting and protecting you.
4. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Advisors can be friends, family, colleagues, mentors, experts, etc.
5. Begin building your circle by asking yourself: “Who has my back?”, “Who really gets me?”, “Who can I count on to be honest with me?”, “Who has lived a life I respect?”

Separate useful feedback from opinions.

1. Opinions primarily reflect the thoughts and perspectives of the giver.
2. Feedback is designed to benefit and guide the receiver to act.
3. Tune into the feedback of those who know you; let the rest become noise.

Manage your emotional response.

1. Beyond your trusted circle, you are your own next best feedback loop.
2. Only you know whether your thoughts, emotions, and physiology are working in harmony or dissonance.
3. Pay attention to what triggers your feelings and how they affect your thoughts and actions.
4. When you encounter strong emotions, take a moment to pause and reflect.
5. Shift your focus from the emotional toil (the noise) to the insights within the experience (the signal).
6. Take the time to ask yourself key questions like, “What went wrong?”, “What can be improved?”, “What insights can be learned?”

Commit to applying the useful feedback you receive.

1. Olympians meticulously incorporate suggestions into their training regimens and strive to make tangible changes.
2. A commitment to action is what often distinguishes elite performers from others.
3. A lack of a clear plan, insufficient motivation, or discomfort in changing established habits can cause you to fall short of your goals.
4. Think about what actions you can take next. For example, you could:

• Develop a systematic approach to incorporating feedback.
• Outline specific steps to integrate feedback.
• Keep a record of your efforts and improvements.
• Regularly review your progress to see how well you’re incorporating feedback.
• Make this process a regular routine, not a one-time effort.
• If it isn’t working, be willing to adjust your approach.

Applying an Olympic mindset to our everyday life:

In closing, Gervais shares a few final thoughts on feedback that are worth remembering as we consider how to apply these concepts to our day-to-day lives:

1. Be selective about the feedback you internalize.
2. Use it as a tool for personal and professional development.
3. Remember to separate what you do from who you are.
4. Strive for excellence in your daily life but remain grounded in your inherent worth as a human being.

At  Ardeo, our leadership aims to incorporate feedback into our team’s work through semi-annual 2×2 work and individual development planning. As we consider our 2x2s, we might use what we’ve learned from this article to help us create our own circle of advisors and begin managing feedback like an Olympian.

To learn more, check out Michael Gervais’s full article here: How to Manage Feedback Like An Olympic Athlete.