Loading ...I got the nicest compliment from a colleague last week. Really made my day.
She had been busy working on some marketing stuff for her business, and asked for some feedback on a small part of the picture.
I’ve been swamped with client work and projects for the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce, and it would have been so much easier to just say, "Looks great!" and been done with it.
But I saw some things that could be improved to better accomplish what she wanted, and I gave her my honest-to-goodness thoughts, and didn’t think anything more of it.
She sends me back an email, saying simply, "See, this is why I love you to pieces."
She probably had no idea how much that simple sentiment meant to me, especially at that moment. And it got me to reflecting about one of the reasons why the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce was formed.
Socializing and having folks who will give you an encouraging "attagirl" (or "attaboy" as the case may be, LOL) without hesitation is so important. It’s necessary, it’s supportive, it’s what creates community and bonds us with each other, and we all need that.
And in our industry, you can go to any number of organizations and get that. Sometimes that’s all you get.
But just as important is honest feedback so that we can help each other grow professionally and as business owners. For me, I truly believe that an equal kindness is the person who is willing to share that honest, constructive feedback along with the "attagirls" and "attaboys."
But not everyone sees that as a kindness; they think it’s being negative or not being supportive. For me, I think it’s THE most supportive thing a person can do–truly giving of one’s self and experience, knowledge and perspective to help someone else increase their knowledge and raise their consciousness.
It’s really easy to give pats on the back. What’s not so easy is telling the truth about what you really might think about something even though it might be helpful.
We all worry about hurting someone’s feelings. How many times have you thought "Gee, I really want to share this with that person, but they (or everyone one) are going to think I’m a know-it-all/negative/mean/unsupportive/fill-in-the-blank?"
But feedback–real feedback–is vital to our business growth just as much as encouragement and the attagirls/attaboys. I wanted to create a community where Virtual Assistants who aren’t playing pretend business and have a dream of making a real success of their Virtual Assistant business, could not only get encouragement and support, but also that honest feedback from their colleagues that is critical to their growth and success. For me at least, that’s the greatest kindness I can offer, and it’s what gives my heart the most joy.
Honest thoughts with helpful intentions is NEVER negative. I know for myself, I can be very direct in my writing, and often I simply don’t have the time to play with wording to make sure the delivery comes out perfect and isn’t confused with being harsh or rude. Hey, I’m working on it, LOL, but I’d rather do that than simply take the easy way out by giving false praise or saying whatever I think someone wants to hear or because that’s what everyone else is saying.
That would absolutely be out of integrity for me.
So let’s not forget about those other kindnesses we can do for each other, and help each other grow and reach beyond comfort zones.
What about you? Have you found yourself ever not contributing your true feedback due to peer pressure?
Let me...
