How Would You Like To Improve You Relationship With _________?

If someone tells you that he would like to give you some feedback, would you expect that he has something positive or negative to say? Most people would brace themselves for the critic.

When you receive a feedback, how do you react to it? Do you become angry, or defensive, or do you thank the feedback giver?

Getting angry or being defensive is pointless, even useless, because it does not allow you to improve yourself and grow. When people give you a feedback, listen, nod, thank them, and then think of how you can use the feedback to move forward. Of course it's not easy to do. Of course it's hard to sit there and listen. But if you could keep yourself from being angry or defensive, it will allow you to grow in various aspects of your life.

You can use feedback to improve your relationship with people around you. How? Ask them for feedback. Here's how you do it.

First, ask them this question: "On a scale from 1 - 10, how would you rate __________?". The blank might be "our relationship", "our friendship", "me as a boss", "me as an event organizer", "me as a team player" etc.

If the answer is less then 10, the next question to ask is "What would it take to make it a 10?".

Listen to the feedback and then think what you can do to make that relationship a 10. You can ask the questions to your significant other, friends, business partners, son/daughter, your employees etc.

I hope you'll have fun with this simple exercise. I surely did.