Make Feedback Small Enough to Use

A thought experiment: imagine asking, “How am I doing?” You may get a kind answer, but not much you can act on.

Now narrow the request: “I’m practising making my next step clear in team check-ins. Could you notice one moment this week when I do that—or when I don’t?” That gives feedback a specific target without asking someone else to judge your worth.

At the review point, look at the example and choose one response: keep the approach, adjust it, or try a different one. The useful lesson is that growth feedback works best when it points to a behaviour you can choose again, not a label you have to carry.

Pick one skill you’re practising, ask for one observable example, and review it on a date you choose.