The Feedback Loop

Jack Canfield idea:

Take actions toward your goals realizing not every action will produce the desired result.

Once you begin to take action you get feedback about whether you're doing the right things. Once you receive feedback, respond to it with new actions.

Making mistakes and experimenting to see what happens are all part of the process of eventually getting it right.

Take an action, notice what result you get, and then adjust your next actions based on the feedback you have received.


Two Kinds of Feedback

– negative and positive.


Positive feedback tells us we are on course and doing the right thing because we experience the outcome desired.like improved profits or better relations with customers.

Negative feedback like lack of results, little or no money, criticism, poor evaluations, complaints, unhappiness, inner conflict, pain, etc.  Negative feedback  tells us that we are off course, headed in the wrong direction, doing the wrong thing. This information allows us to make adjustments to our actions.

In fact, it's most useful to respond to negative feedback. I like to refer to negative feedback as information for "improvement opportunities."



Ways of Responding to Feedback that Don't Work:

- quitting:  feedback is simply information or "correctional guidance"

-anger at the source of the feedback:
 to get angry, but it doesn't help you become more successful in your quest.

-ignoring the feedback:
feedback could transform lives, if listened to.


Ask for Feedback get honest and open feedback, you need to ask for it and make it safe
for the person to give it to you. In other words, don't shoot the messenger!


Valuable Questions:

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the quality of our relationship (service/product) during the
last week (month/semester/quarter)?"

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the meeting we just had? ... me as a manager? ... me as a
parent? ...this class? ...this meal? ...my cooking? ...our sex life? ...this deal? ...this book?

Any answer less than a 10 always gets this follow-up question:

"What would it take to make it a 10?"

This is where the really valuable information comes from. Knowing that a person is dissatisfied is not
enough. Knowing in detail what will satisfy them gives you the information you need to do whatever it
takes to create a winning product, service, relationship or result.

Answers to these types of questions can improve the quality of every relationship you are in, every product you produce, every service you deliver, every meeting you conduct, every class you teach and every transaction you enter

Is All Feedback Accurate?

Not all feedback is useful or accurate. You must consider the source. Some feedback is polluted by the
psychological distortions of the person giving you the feedback.

Remember, feedback is simply information. You don't have to take it personally. Just welcome it and use
it.

Look for patterns in the feedback you get, too. As my friend Jack Rosenblum likes to say: "If one person
tells you you're a horse, they're crazy. If three people tell you you're a horse, there's a conspiracy a
foot. If ten people tell you you're a horse, it's time to buy a saddle.

This is one of the core principles you can apply to your life and will help you reach your goals more
quickly by embracing all the feedback that comes your way.