Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 7

SUCCESS OR FAILURE IN THIS REGARD WILL
DEPEND LARGELY ON THE QUALITY OF ONE'S
ATTITUDE, CHARACTER, AND HUMILITY IN
RESPONSE TO COACHING."
an insult, and don't take
it personally. Rather, look
at feedback as a chance
to make changes that
will allow you to live your
career and life at a higher
level-as something that
happens for you, and not
an offense that happens to
you. Even if the feedback
is presented to you poorly,
don't miss the potential
value in the message
because the delivery was
lousy.

2. ASK QUESTIONS
TO CLARIFY THE
FEEDBACK. Don't do

so defensively, but to
encourage the giver to be
more specific so you can
better evaluate changes
you'll need to make. After
all, general feedback is
not nearly as helpful as
feedback that is specific
and given with examples.
Sometimes a giver will
offer general feedback
to gauge your attitude in
receiving it, before taking
the risk of becoming specific or outlining particular
behavioral examples.

3. MAINTAIN GOOD
EYE CONTACT AND
POSITIVE BODY
LANGUAGE WHEN
RECEIVING FEEDBACK.

Not only does this make
you feel better about
yourself, it increases the
chances that the individual
giving the feedback will

feel comfortable to be
completely honest in their
conveyance.

4. RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO REFLEXIVELY MAKE EXCUSES
FOR YOUR ACTIONS,
OR TO TRY AND JUSTIFY THEM. Focus first and

of the day, acting on
feedback, and doing so
quickly, is the true test of
coachability.
6. OVERALL, THE
PROPER ATTITUDE
AND RESPONSE TO
FEEDBACK-EVEN
FEEDBACK THAT

IT'S NOT ENOUGH
FOR SOMEONE TO WANT
TO GROW; THEY MUST
BE READY AND ABLE TO
GROW."
foremost on the message
and consider if there
isn't at least a grain of
validity or truth you could
possibly benefit from, and
grow from as a result.
Practice the discipline of
suspending judgment of
the feedback, and of the
giver, until you've had
a legitimate opportunity
to consider its value. To
become more coachable,
you must prioritize getting
better over being "right."
5. DON'T JUST
AGREE WITH
FEEDBACK, CHANGE
YOUR BEHAVIOR
BECAUSE OF IT. Just

affirming that feedback is
correct or helpful doesn't
deem you as coachable
unless you actually
change something
because of it. At the end

IS OFF-BASE-IS
TO SINCERELY SAY
"THANK YOU." This

doesn't affirm you agree
with the feedback, or
will change because of
it (it could be misguided
or based on wrong
information), but it does
demonstrate a humble
attitude and eagerness to
consider uncomfortable
situations that may be
able to help you grow.
7. BE PROACTIVE
AND SEEK OUT
FEEDBACK, DON'T
JUST SIT AROUND
WAITING FOR IT.

This attitude takes your
coachability to a higher
level, and can absolutely
accelerate your growth.
Ask questions like:
"What do you suggest
I do to improve perfor-

mance?"
"Where do you see
that I've gotten off
track?"
"How can I make this
even better than it is?"
"What can I do to have
a more positive impact
on teammates?"
"Where have I developed blind-spots that I
need to fix?"
When you ask questions like these in earnest, they demonstrate
strong humility and
coachability which, when
all is said and done, are
essential allies in your
endeavor to improve
who you are, what you
do, and the results you
reap.
DAVE ANDERSON is
President of LearnToLead,
which provides in-person
and virtual training to
many of the world's best
dealerships. Dave speaks
to dealer groups over
125 times each year and
has given seminars in 15
countries. He's written
the leadership column
for Dealer Magazine
for the past 15 years.
Dave's 13th book, "It's Not
Rocket Science: 4 Simple
Strategies for Mastering
the Art of Execution" is
now available worldwide.
For leadership tips follow
Dave on Twitter @
DaveAnderson100. EMAIL:
dave@learntolead.com

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

FEBRUARY 2018

7
http://www.DIGITALDEALER.COM
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - February 2018
