Nobody warns you that receiving feedback is its own skill. We spend years learning how to ask for it, create space for it, and respond to it graciously. But the moment it actually arrives in volume, from all directions, and not always in agreement, we’re largely on our own.
Right now, I’m living that reality with my own book.
I’m in the middle of receiving feedback from the beta readers of my book. I intentionally shared it with a wide range of readers so I could get broad, honest perspectives. And that’s exactly what I got.
Now comes the real work: assimilating what I’m hearing and deciding what deserves my attention.
That process got me thinking about what so many of us navigate inside organizations every day. Whether it’s a 360 review or input from a matrix of stakeholders, the challenge isn’t getting the feedback. That is in ready supply. The real challenge is knowing what to do with it.
This is where “some assembly required” really applies.
Receiving feedback well means more than listening. It means looking at what you’ve heard with some objectivity, making thoughtful judgments about what matters most, and then doing something that many of us skip entirely: calibrating.
Calibration is a conversation. It means sitting down with your manager or key stakeholders and talking through what you’re hearing, how you’re interpreting it, and what you think you need to do about it. This isn’t a sign of uncertainty. It’s a sign of wisdom.
When you calibrate, you create alignment. And alignment creates momentum.
So, before you dive into action on the feedback you’ve received, or dismiss it entirely, pause and ask yourself:
Have I talked with the right people about what I’m hearing and what I plan to do about it?