When I started at Blinds to Go a little less than a year ago, the importance of feedback in regards to my development as well as the development of my coworkers, was made clear to me. The idea of tracking growth and development through feedback, in the form of open communication and having weekly sit-down sessions with a manager, was a new experience for me. The experience was unlike any other job I’d ever had. I’ve been able to track my own growth through the feedback I’ve received from my team members since starting with the company.
Initially, I began working on my listening skills, which is a very important skill I had taken for granted. One of the next steps for me was the process of slowing myself down. This is one of the most difficult challenges I’ve faced because it’s such a multifaceted goal. First I worked on slowing down my speech, then I worked on thinking things through, having well thought out answers, and making sure to go over every aspect of a sale with a customer and complete all the types of operational tasks thoroughly. And I’m still working on reminding myself to remain slowed down. Right now I’m working on being direct. That has been a challenge for me because there are situations when it can be uncomfortable. Another aspect of being direct is being personable, which I’m currently working on, making sure I keep a cordial and professional conversational dialogue with the customer throughout the sale.
In a little less than a year I’ve made many changes and it has become clear to me that to be successful and advance in the company you have to be able to identify and admit areas where change is needed and make changes within yourself. I have also learned to view feedback differently. Rather than looking at feedback as unpleasant, I now look at feedback as data that can be useful for my own continuing improvement.
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