Seek Feedback

Written By Jeremy Utley

Whenever you’re launching something new, the sooner you can get feedback from relevant stakeholders, the better. Often, that means sharing before you’re ready, which can be scary. And opening yourself up to feedback can be vulnerable. But the rewards are incredible.

Example from my own personal practice:
Earlier this week, I wanted to share a couple of pieces that touched on topics of race and gender. Needless to say, as a white male, I’ve got blind spots! Thankfully, I also have a community of practice where I can share early iterations of posts-in-need-of-perspective.

It was a little scary sharing early drafts in a semi-public venue, but wow! The end product was incredibly enhanced by the generous, insightful, and candid contributions of thoughtful collaborators with perspectives other than my own.

Actively soliciting contributions from others — whether when specifically dealing with issues beyond your span of perspective, as I was in this example, or otherwise — is a great way to reveal assumptions, challenge bias, and see possibility. After all, it’s often the outsiders who end up revolutionizing fields.

Related: Sharing Before You Feel Ready
Related: Embrace An Outsider’s Perspective

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