“The client said you weren’t very attentive to their needs. Your co-workers have been saying you’re not a team player. Wow, you really missed the mark on that project, that due date, all of the communication.” We’ve all received negative feedback. In fact, you can probably very easily recall a piece of negative feedback given to you.
And look, we need negative feedback; it’s an important piece of what makes us grow, how we elevate ourselves.
But what about the positive feedback? Can you as easily recall that? Probably not, which is why it is so important for you to start documenting any positive feedback that you receive! Whether that’s through a folder in your email where you start storing that or the notes on your phone, so that when you’re speaking to a colleague or you get out of a meeting with a client or your boss and they offer even the slightest, smallest piece of positive feedback, you are recording it.
You can use that in so many ways! When you’ve had a bad day, you’ve been completely kicked in the teeth and you’ve got all this self-doubt, that’s a great time to open up that positive feedback. Give yourself a pick me up, remind yourself that you ARE awesome, and that you should be doing what you’re doing.
It’s also a great tool when you have your annual performance reviews. Being able to list your major accomplishments, that’s great. But what about those things that somebody else saw in you? Those things that are really going to set you apart, allow you to advance or take on greater projects, really just get to that next level. It’s also fantastic to use if you’re going in for negotiation, whether that’s a pay raise or you’re interviewing for another job.
Use those pieces of praise, what other people have seen and recognized in you, as a way to leverage the next opportunity.
So make sure that you are storing that positive feedback, because I know you are not recalling them like you are with the negative feedback. How do you track your positive feedback? Comment below, we’d love to hear your ideas!