Tracking how you’re going

So far in this course, we have covered different types of feedback, the power of actively seeking feedback, and what makes a good feedback request.

We also covered setting goals, developing an action plan, and overcoming barriers or challenges that may get in the way of working towards our goals of improving our ability to seek feedback.

You may have also practised seeking feedback by asking someone you trust for feedback in a situation less important to your current goals.

When faced with the challenges of seeking feedback, you might find it helpful to think about the reasons for why you want to be better at seeking feedback and the importance of this goal to you. Is it because you value doing your best work? Or because improving your work will help you to get the job you want?

Whatever the reasons, reflecting on our values can remind us why we want to work towards being better at seeking feedback and motivate us to take action. (Hint: Reflect on your response to Step 1.7: The power of active seeking).

Think back to the goals and plans you developed in previous activities, including plans for overcoming barriers. If we remember to implement them when needed, we can get past the obstacles and make steps towards our goals.

It was suggested that you regularly review your goals, plans and strategies for overcoming obstacles. To aid identifying whether our action plans and strategies for working through barriers are useful, we can keep track of our progress by recording what we do and when, and how it went. For example, using the vegetables scenario from earlier, an individual might record how many serves of vegetables they eat per day, and thoughts about how easy or hard that was to do.

For the following example goal from earlier:

For the next month, when I complete a piece of work and send it to a colleague or supervisor, I will ask them to provide feedback on up to three specific areas I want to improve the most. I will review my goal on March 30.

If this was your goal, you might record between the start date and the review date:

• When and how (e.g. via email) you asked your supervisor for feedback on a piece of work
• What kind of work it was
• What three areas you asked for feedback on
• What feedback you received (if any)
• Whether the feedback was helpful or not for improving your work

You might also record whether you missed an opportunity to ask for feedback, or didn’t feel the need to ask for feedback and why.

We can use a worksheet or a table to make tracking our progress easier (see below for an example; click to enlarge). Having a log of what happened when can assist with identifying progress made towards our goals, and if any of our plans or strategies need to be tweaked to improve our likelihood of success.

Practise your skills

Make a worksheet like the one above, with headings that are relevant to you. Thinking back to the goals and plans you made, choose one goal to focus on and add it to your worksheet, at the top of the page.

Put your worksheet somewhere that you will remember to complete it (print it out or make a physical copy by hand if it helps). You will need it for the next activity.

In the comments below, share your thoughts about possible strategies that can help you to remember to put your goals into action and to complete the log.