Feedback

I’ve had people say lots of kind things to me recently, which has boosted my confidence if not my bank balance. The risk assessment carried out for the local youth centre has resulted in new fire procedures and emergency lighting, and one member of the management committee came up to me in the street just to tell me how “excellent” it was. Someone else described a piece I’d written on their favourite health and safety topic as “fabulous” saying they had been surprised there was anything else they could learn on the subject. Another potential client described how “very thorough” my proposal was. Sorry for blowing my own trumpet, but I think sometimes we need to do this. Much has been written on stress, and in particular on how staff should be supported by positive comments. For example Stress: The assessment stage describes the need for “valuing staff” and the HSE stress management standard for support includes the need for employees to receive regular and constructive feedback (see also Pressure relief: tackling stress). Working on you own you don’t get much regular feedback. And with job hunting, its easy to read not getting a job as negative feedback. So if you’re working on your own, or like me looking for work, it's really worth making a note when people say positive things about you, whether its work related or not. For example, if a friend thanks you for your reliability, write down what they said so you can enjoy the comment again when supportive comments are sparse. I’m convinced you can’t get a job without a bit of confidence, and if blowing your own trumpet occasionally gives you some confidence, your prospects of winning that job are a little higher.