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Relies on feedback from others and believes that others are right

Exercise
•  Invite a colleague to give you feedback on your performance on a particular task; choose a non-emotive issue.
•  Listen carefully to what your colleague says and write down the relevant points. Note down both the positive and any 'negative' feedback.
•  Ask for clarification and specific examples so your brain can learn from your own experience.

Review
•  What did you learn about your own thinking processes as you completed the exercise?
•  Was it 'easier' for you to listen to positive feedback than it was to have to listen and write down any 'negative' feedback?
 

Tip
Avoid asking about what you did 'wrong'. Rather, ask your colleague how they think that you could have improved your performance on that specific task, or what they would suggest that you might do slightly differently in the future.

Comment
We often feel quite strongly about our performance and only 'hear' what we want to hear, ignoring the rest of the feedback. The purpose of this exercise is to get you to begin practising the skills of external thinking, it is not to make you face any potentially difficult situations, so choose an issue both you and your colleague feel comfortable talking about.

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