To Improve Your Work, Talk To The People Who Benefit From It

To Improve Your Work, Talk To The People Who Benefit From It

If you want feedback on your work, it’s easy enough to get it. Just ask your boss. However, if you want especially useful feedback, talk to the people who benefit from your work.

Photo by Lauren Coolman.

Writer Belle Cooper suggests this tip over at Zapier. Cooper writes:

…try seeking out the people who directly benefit from your work. That’s probably not your boss or your colleagues. They’re your final customers or even their customers. They might not be people you come in contact with every day, but making the effort to get in touch with these people could boost your motivation to work hard. You might occasionally ask customers to fill out a satisfaction survey or informally request feedback directly.

There’s so much value in this. When I was a technical writer, for example, my boss always had great, constructive feedback. It was helpful. But when I asked the technicians who actually used my manuals to build tools, they had a lot more insight what I could improve.

It’s worth pointing out, though, that this feedback might sometimes contradict what your employer actually wants you to do. Just because the customer prefers a product to be delivered a certain way doesn’t mean your boss agrees. You also want to make sure your boss doesn’t mind you asking outside sources for feedback in the first place. If they don’t, it’s an easy way to get incredibly useful tips to improve your work.

3 Science-Backed Ways to Boost Your Motivation (Even When You Don’t Feel Like Working) [Zapier]


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