In consulting, much of your growth will come from feedback on client projects. How do you accept and implement feedback?

"I would give my clients, and their entire team, a survey focused specifically on my service and knowledge base and if they felt they received the value from me that they expected at the end of every project. The feedback would be blind, and I would take every bit of it as though it came from the company's CEO. I'd analyze the comments for common denominators as well. If the feedback were consistent, I would create a learning plan based on that common feedback. Regarding how I would deliver feedback, if I noticed correct behavior, I'd ask them why they were taking that approach, find out their reasoning, validate it, and then offer an alternate approach that would hit their target goal more successfully."

"I ask for feedback every month from one of my toughest-to-please managers. Her feedback is accurate, and I trust it. Once she tells me what I could try doing differently, I will take the time to research and plan how I can implement the change. This practice has helped me grow in my career significantly.

I try to deliver feedback as promptly, often, and specifically as possible. When you notice a client doing something that compromises their goals, you want to curb that immediately and keep them on track by helping them keep them on the ball. But I prefer to look at that as coaching."