For a long time feedback felt like a personal attack. Someone pointing out something I could improve sent me straight into self-doubt. What I've learned — slowly, and not always gracefully — is that feedback isn't about my worth. It's information I can use to grow.
My customer experience background taught me this early. A client once struggled to find a button on our website. Seemed minor to me. To her it was genuinely frustrating. That one piece of feedback led to a small design change that improved the experience for everyone. Silence, I learned, doesn't equal satisfaction. And real progress only comes when you're willing to actually listen.
Now I run feedback through a filter. Not everything is valid — but everything can teach you something if you're willing to ask the right questions. What's the intention behind this? What's true in it? And how do I respond with enough grace to keep the door open instead of slamming it shut with defensiveness?
Proverbs 12:15 says the wise listen to advice. Moses, David, Paul — they all grew through correction. That's the kind of leader I want to be. Not one who has it all figured out, but one who stays open enough to keep getting sharper.
I ask my team regularly where I can grow. I ask coaching clients what could have gone better. I check in after experiences to see what needs refining. It has changed everything about how I lead and how much people trust me.
Feedback stopped being something I survive and started being something I use. That shift is available to any leader willing to make it.