Ebay's Feedback System in the Office

by: Rob Hubert

I had a conversation with a friend this morning about Feedback and how important it is. He said that he rarely gets feedback, good or bad. I asked him what he would do with it if he got it. "It depends on what the feedback is and who it's from", he said. Great, I replied - assume it was from someone that you trusted and admired. "I would use it to change my behavior or improve my performance", he said.

Feedback can be an incredibly powerful tool when used properly. I meet a lot of IT Professionals that tell me they never receive feedback. 

Occasionally, the IT Professionals that I work with ask me why they don't receive more feedback. Most of the time they are not seeking feedback, mainly because they don't want to hear feedback that they would perceive as negative. Here's a newsflash for all IT Professionals. Feedback is not positive or negative. It is merely another person's perspective on your performance and/or behavior. It took me a long time to become comfortable with feedback, because it can make me uncomfortable. When I receive feedback from a single source, I become aware of a potential opportunity for me to improve. When I receive the same feedback from multiple sources, then I really pay attention and make some corrections almost immediately.

Can you imagine how much different we would operate at work if our co-workers had a feedback system similar to Ebay's. If you knew that you would get a plus or a minus from every interaction that you have and every deliverable that you provide, would you operate differently?  I'm sure you know what happens to Ebay users with lots of negative feedback. They get kicked off of Ebay.

Think of it like this. Feedback is the Breakfast of Champions. It's also the most effective way to make course corrections on the way to achieve your goals and dreams. If you're wondering how to get more feedback, the answer is quite simple. Ask for it.