A recent National Public Radio show caught my attention. It was called "Americans Flunk Self-Assessment" and the host, Alix Spiegel, talked about how most of us tend to inflate our own self evaluations, while others –managers, peers, direct reports, close associates – see us more clearly. Unrealistic optimism and self-affirmation is particularly acute in North America and Western Europe, but not in Asia. There it’s less about self-affirmation and more about self-improvement. It ought to give us all a little pause.
It was a sober reminder of how important it is to ask for and accept the gift of feedback. If we’re going to significantly improve our performance we need the “loving critic” who cares deeply enough about our growth to tell us the unvarnished truth. Whether you use our 360-assessment, The Leadership Practices Inventory, someone else’s tool, or just a one-on-one meeting with a good coach, make it a practice to ask others, “How am I doing?”
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