Constructive feedback can be invaluable. How else can you assess how you are progressing in the eyes of your customers, partners, colleagues, employees, or other constituents like family and friends. Asking for feedback is the hard part. Getting an accurate perspective is difficult because people don’t want to hurt your feelings.
The following three questions are guaranteed to generate valuable insight and feedback.
Q: “If you were me, would you be doing anything differently?”
Q: “Do you see a better way to handle this?”
Q: “If you were in my shoes, what approach would you take?”
Humbling oneself to the point where you are able to outwardly admit that you don’t have all the answers is the quickest way to cause other people to open up and share their perspective.