Angie Morgan is a Marine veteran who is a coauthor, along with Courtney Lynch and Sean Lynch, of the new book "Spark: How to Lead Yourself and Others to Greater Success." In this video, Angie Morgan explains how well the people in our lives observe us every day. Asking for their honest feedback can show us where we need improvement. Following is a transcript of the video.
A lot of people we work with, and around, hold the key to how we can be more successful in either relationships or at work.
And just thinking: wow, people observe me every single day and they may have tips or ideas on how I can be better. So as a leader, you have to inspire candor so you actually get that information and that can be really tough.
One of the things I like to advise professionals on is just have an ongoing conversation, whether it's with their direct reports, or whether with their peers, and just being able to ask simple questions such as, “Can you please share with me two things I'm doing really well in the circumstance and two areas where you think I can improve?”
Now, whenever you ask that question from the first time, out the gate, people might be a little, “I don't know. I don't know where you can improve,” or, “I don't want to give you criticism.” But if you keep asking eventually over time you show a willingness to receive that information and ultimately you help establish trust so people can give you that information.