FEEDBACK
You're doing well; keep it up! You can improve that; can I help?
TL;DR:Â Use feedback to become a valuable engineer and build strong teams. Learn to give and receive feedback, use constructive criticism, and celebrate success with positive reinforcement. Stay strong when facing criticism, learn to filter feedback wisely, and make important changes based on it. Promote a feedback culture in your team and adjust your approach for each person. This use of feedback is key to your growth and the foundation of a high-performing team.
Feedback matters, both in giving and receiving. When you give feedback, you help your colleagues. You point out what works well and what doesn't, and that's a game-changer. It makes your team stronger and boosts your own performance too. It's a growth loop: you help them, they help you. Everyone improves.
Receiving feedback is just as important. It's a reality check, showing you where you stand. It tells you what you're good at and what needs work. And with this knowledge, you become a better engineer. You know where to put your energy to improve and where to keep pushing because you're already doing great.
This is a powerful and simple growth tool for you and your team. Each piece of feedback, whether given or received, adds to a growth story. The more feedback shared, the stronger the team, the better the story. Feedback doesn't just build better engineers; it builds better teams.
Throughout my engineering journey, I've identified feedback's crucial role. As ordinary as it may sound, giving and receiving reviews on everything from pull requests to design documents has been an essential stepping stone in my growth and the teams I've worked with. In this piece, we will explore its role in engineering, its impact on teams, and its potential to foster growth.
The Changing Power of Feedback
In your team, everyone has different skills and experiences. But bad habits or weaknesses can ruin all this potential. Imagine an engineer who comes up with great ideas but often makes mistakes in his pull requests. This can easily cause issues and frustration in the team, leading to a lack of trust in his work, regardless of how clever or impactful it can be.
When someone notices this and talks about it, things can change quickly. A sincere conversation and good feedback can turn this mistake into a learning opportunity. Knowing his weakness and how to fix it, this engineer becomes a valuable team member. Trust is restored, and the team performs better.
Many engineers could do much better with just a few minor changes. As valuable engineers, we can use feedback to bring out this potential.
Every time we give feedback, it's like planting a seed and taking care of it. Over time, these seeds grow into big trees, making the team stronger and more successful. That's the power of feedback.
Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is like fuel for good performance. It's the reward for hard work, the recognition of effort, and the push that motivates people to do even better. Recognizing success creates a feeling of achievement and encourages a culture of excellence.
When we praise good actions, we inspire people to repeat their successes. A team that feels appreciated will keep delivering good results. A well-earned compliment is powerful!
But positive reinforcement doesn't just help one person. It creates a cycle of success that inspires the whole team. When one person's success is celebrated, it encourages others to strive for the same. This cycle of success and recognition drives a high-performance culture.
As leaders and valuable engineers, we should ensure our teams not only fear failure but also aim for success. We need to balance criticism and praise. By doing this, we can motivate our teams to consistently do their best.
Constructive Criticism
Constructive criticism is a very useful type of feedback. It pushes for growth, breaks limits, and encourages continuous learning. But giving constructive feedback needs tact, understanding, and precision.
We should remember that feedback, especially criticism, can be challenging. Feedback should be given in a way that it's seen as an opportunity for improvement, not as an attack; to avoid getting people demotivated or defensive.
As leaders and valuable engineers, it's our job to help our colleagues see feedback as a growth tool, not a weapon. We should focus on the problem, not the person, to create a sense of trust and respect. This way, feedback sessions can be more productive and less scary.
Constructive criticism becomes a learning experience that encourages growth if we give it well. As leaders and valuable engineers, we should learn this skill and use it to create a culture of continuous improvement.
Acting on Feedback
Feedback is like a compass that shows the way to improve. But knowing the way isn't enough. We need to act. Being able to use feedback to make changes is what makes an engineer great.
When we get feedback, we should think about it carefully. First, understand the feedback, find the problem, and admit the need to improve. Then, make a specific plan to fix the problem and check the progress.
Moreover, using feedback is about more than fixing our weaknesses. It's also about improving our strengths. Feedback helps us find what we're good at, allowing us to get even better. Working on strengths and weaknesses leads to quicker growth, better performance, and a more valuable engineer.
So, let's think of feedback as a treasure map. It shows where we can find chances to grow. The treasure is in these chances, and it's up to us to use the feedback.
Receiving Feedback
Receiving feedback is a skill that needs emotional intelligence and humility. As engineers, we should learn to separate ourselves from our work, understanding that criticism of our work doesn't mean criticism of us.
Let's say you submit a code, a design document, or a Product Requirement Document, and it comes back full of comments and red marks. It's easy to take this personally, but good engineers know this isn't an attack. It's a chance to improve the work, smooth out the rough parts, and improve the final product.
Feedback allows us to see our work from a different viewpoint, to find mistakes we might have missed, and to discover new possibilities. By separating ourselves from our work, we can open up to these opportunities. Remember, we are not our work; we are the creators of our work. And every creator can get better, change, and create more.
Filtering Feedback
Getting feedback can be challenging. Sometimes it might feel like an attack, especially if the person giving feedback lacks emotional intelligence. In such situations, keeping emotions in check and focusing on the message is essential. Stay attentive, don't interrupt, and avoid getting defensive. Ask straightforward, honest questions to understand the root of the feedback. The aim is to extract value, even when the delivery is imperfect.
Sometimes, the feedback is purely negative, with no constructive advice. It's a test of resilience. Rather than engaging or retaliating, the best move is to let it go. Energy is better spent on positive, productive interactions. Recognize this kind of feedback for what it is, discard it, and move forward.
You'll often receive helpful feedback that doesn't need immediate action. Imagine getting an onslaught of minor comments on your pull request. They're well-intentioned, but acting on them might add extra work or derail your current approach. You have to decide whether to act now or tackle them later.
Developing the skill to filter feedback is crucial for growth. It lets us separate the wheat from the chaff and direct our energy where it's most effective. The ultimate goal is to utilize constructive feedback, ignore unproductive criticism, and decide when to act on feedback and bookmark it for the future.
Culture of Feedback
Building a culture of feedback is one of the best things we, as leaders and good engineers, can do for our team. A team that freely gives, receives, and uses feedback is a team that constantly learns, changes, and gets better.
Encouraging open conversations, asking questions, and promoting a culture of sincere feedback creates an environment ready for new ideas. When team members feel free to speak their minds and know their feedback is important, they care more about their work. It builds trust, creates respect, and encourages teamwork.
However, creating a culture of feedback doesn't happen quickly. It needs continuous effort, patience, and leading by example. We should be the first to ask for feedback, the first to appreciate it, and the first to use it, and only then will we encourage our team to do the same.
Regular feedback sessions, both formal and informal, can be helpful. These sessions create a platform for criticism and praise, encouraging team members to share their thoughts and ideas. Promote openness and make sure feedback is always given with the goal of improvement, not as a punishment.
Finally, feedback isn't the same for everyone. Different people react differently to feedback. We must adjust our approach based on the recipient's personality, learning style, and comfort level. This understanding ensures that our feedback is heard, understood, and used.
Final Thoughts
Feedback is a powerful tool with the potential to shape careers, build high-performing teams, and drive organizations toward success. As engineers, we must harness this power responsibly. We should give honest feedback, receive it humbly, and implement it with resolve.
A culture of continuous learning, underpinned by feedback, allows us to recognize our strengths, tackle our weaknesses, and propel each other to new levels of excellence. Embracing feedback takes us closer to unlocking our full potential and becoming the valuable engineers we strive to be.