goalforward

How to ask for informal feedback from supervisors and coworkers

In order to improve your effectiveness and satisfaction with your job, it is imperative that you feel comfortable approaching supervisors and coworkers regarding feedback on your performance. It is a mistake for any employee to wait to address communication and feedback at a formal evaluation process. Many companies offer periodic (often 6 months to one year) formal evaluations to assess employee performance and offer forward guidance. Employees should not view these appraisal meetings as the only and best time to seek feedback and support.

Appraisal meetings should include a goal setting process. Depending on the organization and the nature of the work, supervisors and employees may set goals for both the short-term and the long-term. These goals should provide vision and direction for the employee. Although employers often address goal setting with employees, individuals with growth aspirations should be proactive in setting personal and careers success goals to help guide their own work.

The key to motivation and success with goals is to evaluate progress toward them in an ongoing and informal fashion. Shorter-term goals should be used as a way to determine progress toward longer-term goals. This monitoring of progress helps: 1) Offer motivation and encouragement when progress builds toward longer-term goals and 2) Helps with correction and reshaping when work is getting off track.

The best supervisors realize the importance of ongoing, informal feedback for employees. However, supervisors are busy. As an employee, you can demonstrate your ambition, leadership, and self-discipline (all sought after traits) by approaching your supervisor to ask for feedback on progress toward your goals. For instance, if you one of your goals is to improve customer service performance, you might follow up with your supervisor periodically on your scores, response level, demonstrated behaviors, etc.

Another great source of informal feedback is coworkers. It can be very difficult for prideful employees to seek feedback from coworkers on job performance. However, more experienced or well-respected peers are often the best critics of your work. The key is to find trusted colleagues who will offer both honest and fair critiques. Employees need to realize growth comes from an open-minded learning attitude and an understanding of the value of communication for workplace success. In a recent survey of a sample of successful workers (those earning over $250,000 annually), respondents said communication skills were their number one key to success.