No Feedback is Feedback | Agile | Time Paradox
Hello there! Welcome to my weekly LEAPS.
You’re receiving this email because you subscribed to my weekly Wednesday feature or our mailing list. Every Wednesday, I share 5 things using our LEAPS approach:
Learn: something new or an idea
Energy: an energy (good or bad) word and it’s meaning
Action: something to do
Processing: a question to consider
Shout out: something or someone that I want to celebrate or acknowledge
LEARN
Something Worth Sharing
No Feedback is Feedback
Do you remember as a young child producing a drawing of something? Perhaps you might have drawn a few stick people, there could have been a square house with a triangular roof, the sky might have been a blue line at the top of the page and the grass would have been a green line at the bottom of the page. Once you’d completed your masterpiece, you would have naturally looked to someone for feedback - to let you know that what you’d created was ‘good enough’, meaning YOU are good enough.
What we were taught about feedback as a child stays with us throughout our lives.
If we receive over-the-top positive feedback, it can cause us to not trust in it. If we receive encouragement and balanced feedback with kind suggestions, we can improve and build. If we receive only negative feedback it can undermine us and set us back. But, there is also another type of feedback - no feedback at all. Last week I wrote about how humans need to make sense of information, and when there are gaps in this, we guess. Feedback is just the same. It is an information loop that needs closing - no matter who we are or what we’re doing. When we do something or create something, we need balanced feedback. When it is missing, we guess - and just with any other missing information, we guess negatively.
I recall not receiving much praise or feedback from my grandmother, while my cousin always seemed to get lots of encouragement and feedback. I decided to ask my dad about this, and he tried to explain it as being because I always did well while my cousin needed her confidence building. The missing feedback was feedback to me - that my hard work and efforts were worthless. It’s not for us to assess who needs feedback or not - everyone needs feedback, simple. Even the most accomplished and confident people need feedback. Oh, and leaders need just as much feedback as those that work for them!
ENERGY
An emotion or energy; a stand-out word / s
Agile
This word came up time and time again last week while working with a client. It means "having quickness of motion, nimble, active" (of body or mind).”
The word originates from Latin AGERE meaning "to set in motion, keep in movement". The most ‘agile’ teams and businesses I see are the ones that seek out simplicity, effectiveness and efficiency. They have confidence and clarity and can nagivate challenges - and opportunities - with little notice.
ACTION
Something small that you can do that might make a big difference
Mental Agility
Being agile (as shown in the Energy word this week), begins in the mind. Being able to adapt and flex our thoughts, decisions and ideas quickly is so important. So this week, try working on your mental agility - perhaps try a quiz, a jigsaw puzzle, crossword or sudoku.
PROCESSING
A question to think about and consider (you can discuss this with someone or write your thoughts down)
“What’s the biggest mind-shift you’ve had in your life?”
It’s easy to think of pivotal moments in life when we physically shifted something - moved jobs, had children etc. But this week I wanted to get you thinking about mind-shifts and when you’ve had changes of mind. Were you wedded to an idea or chosen path, and had to / wanted to change your thinking?
I’d love for you to send me your own stories / thoughts about this. Drop me a line with your answer / thoughts on this question
SHOUT OUT
Who / what I think deserves recognition - my gratitude or to be celebrated.
Sir Chris Hoy and Perspective
We have been long-time followers of Sir Chris Hoy and watched so many of his triumphant races. He is an 11-time world champion and a six-time Olympic champion - as well as a fabulous sports commentator, charity ambassador and author. This week Sir Chris was in the UK news due to his terminal cancer diagnosis, aged just 48. The reports shared that he has a 2-4 year life expectancy. To this, he said:
"You know, we were all born and we all die, and this is just part of the process. You remind yourself, aren't I lucky that there is medicine I can take that will fend this off for as long as possible."
A huge shout out to Sir Chris and his perspective in the face of adversity - what an inspiration and legend!
BONUS GIFT FOR YOU
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LEAPS is a process used by our team and clients all the time - and even my own family on a daily basis.
I’ll be sharing a set of LEAPS each week with you and encourage you to do your own version:
L: what have you learned?
E: what’s your energy / feeling word
A: what’s one thing you need to do?
P: what are you thinking / processing?
S: who or what can you shout out?
