For last month’s experiment, I wanted to involve people closest to me – family, friends, and co-workers.
I also got on the phone and got some verbal feedback.
I asked each one of them to kindly answer each one of the following questions anonymously;
- What three words would you use to define
me?
- What is something I can improve on?
- What memory of me stand out the most to you?
- Do you have any open thoughts you always wanted to share?
Yes, asking
anonymously is very important. Not having their identity attached to the answer gets them to open up and be honest.
And here are the results that surprised me.
Yes, I was expecting a lot of positive feedback and so should you because after all they are
your friends. However, the most valuable feedback that you should look for is regarding your weaknesses. These are the things that can bring 10X improvement in your life - regardless of how painful they are.
So, here are some of my weaknesses that I heard from my friends (ouch some of them hurt!):
- I sometimes speak without enthusiasm, mumble, or sound monotone (my co-worker)
- I should be more confident in my ideas and plans (my mentor)
- I sometimes lack critical thinking skills in my plans (my friend)
- I should spend more time and be more present with my family (my family)
- (plus a few others that I will keep for another email!)
Note: I guessed who each of the people were above as the feedback was anonymous.
I will be working on improving the above next month. I also got good feedback such as I do the work, good sense of style, inspire others, hard working etc.
Why don’t you copy the questions above and email, Facebook, or phone call a friend to get some feedback? You will surely be surprised and thankful for knowing your
weaknesses.
p.s: What area of life (health, friends, money, work, etc) would you like me to experiment with this month? Please let me know!
Until next month,