I’ve written before about ignoring unsolicited feedback and that it should be summarily cast away because it only benefits the one delivering it, not the receiver of the information. But what about solicited feedback – that which you’ve sought and received from trusted sources – that you’re trying to evaluate? Here are 3 questions for how to best determine the value of those responses to you:

  1. feedbackDid you actually say or do something wrong that can be empirically or objectively demonstrated? If there is, you should take corrective action right away, because your reputation and credibility could very well suffer going forward.
  2. Is it trivial? Although the response is coming from someone you respect and may have some value, it may not be indicative of anything that will hold you back or adversely influence your future success. Just accept it gracefully, and then ignore it.
  3. Do you simply disagree with the feedback? If you do, what you received becomes irrelevant because you’re not going to act on it anyway. Feedback is often influenced by point of view and someone’s perception of the world, which you just don’t share. So if it doesn’t fit with your perspectives, file it away accordingly.

We just can’t afford to spend inordinate amounts of time correcting what others deem insufficient – even from sources we believe in. Our time is better spent maximizing our own future development.