On Feedback

Feedback is a gift, but the receiver may not necessarily feel so.

I remember going berserk when I received my first feedback. It basically said that I could not write emails or draft a patent. My manager often made me write 12 drafts before picking the first draft of Abstract. Then, he made me revise that Abstract umpteen number of times.

I was frustrated. It was clear that I hated my manager. I could not see myself drafting Claims, Specifications, etc., through the same number of iterations. I thought this domain was not for me. However, when I looked around, I saw my colleagues (who had become good friends by then) working on their feedback, focused on covering the gaps rather than how many iterations they needed to make.

It was very difficult for me to change my thought process. I was pretty young, and discarding feedback was easier than accepting it. Fortunately, I saw the light and started concentrating on why my manager spent so much time on me. I had never thought about him before. I realized – if I had to write sixteen drafts to reach a perfect Abstract, he had to take out time from his other projects and read it sixteen times, too.

With this new approach, I engaged with my Manager in earnest, trying hard to pinpoint areas where I needed improvement – and voila! Soon, I was able to draft the claims in half the number of drafts compared to anybody else. 

That was the time I realized the power of feedback and the importance of a good mentor. This is also the reason why the feedback process is dealt with such sincerity at GreyB. Nothing is sugar-coated; as it shouldn’t be.

‘True feedback hits us hard, but it also teaches us lessons from which we benefit all our lives.’

To Dos:

Share honest feedback and be open to receive it as well.