Once you build your action plan – meaning how you will respond to and address the feedback you have received – consider who needs to know about your plans. Would it be beneficial to communicate your feedback response plan to anyone else?
One person who might seriously appreciate knowing what you are up to is the person who gave you the feedback in the first place. Here are some possible talking points to consider:
- “I value the time you took to give me your feedback.”
- “What I heard was this.”
- “What I am doing to incorporate your feedback into how I do __________ is _____________.”
- “What you can expect to see from me is ____________.”
What about your manager?
At times, it can be extremely valuable to share with your manager your thoughts on your personal improvement plan. In other words, what you care about, what you are working to develop, and how your manager might support your efforts. This does not mean you need to broadcast that so-and-so thinks you are a waste of space. Instead, we are talking about sharing with your manager in a professional, positive manner what you took from the information:
- “Right now, I’m interested in developing _____ skills.”
- “Who might I talk to who has done a really great job demonstrating those skills?”
- “I’d appreciate if this year, you can help me by being on the lookout for projects that will give me an opportunity to work on those skills.”
How about peers upon whom your plan is dependent?
Depending on the context, it might be useful to join forces with peers to support your growth in a particular area (e.g., team collaboration and communication). Consider whether you can take action on your plans on your own or whether you would increase your chances of success by involving others.
- “I have made a commitment this year to gain skill in how I communicate in the context of my collaborative efforts; would you be willing to share real-time feedback with me if I ever do something that negatively impacts you in the course of our work together?”
Remember, we are looking at building skill around how you work with feedback as a key aspect of having clarity about the context you operate in. When you do that, you will know more about how your intentions are landing and you will know more about what your organization values, all of which contributes to demonstrating executive presence.