The Feedback Loop for Personal Growth
The feedback loop is a simple yet critical concept to understand when it comes to personal growth. As the name implies, the feedback loop is a cyclical process. The process begins with action to start the cycle. But not just any action. Intentional action.
Intentional action is the determination to behave in a certain way for the purpose of pursuing a goal that is set in advance. If one behaves without intention, then the only feedback that matters is specific feedback on how to direct one’s attention to behave with intention. With that being said, once intention is established, the next step in the cycle is the feedback.
Feedback comes from either a person or from data. If it comes from a person, the feedback is only valid if the person providing it is qualified. Likewise, if the feedback comes from data, it’s only valid if the data is accurate and timely. If either the person or the data does not meet these standards, then the feedback loop is compromised.
Once quality feedback is received, something must be done with it. This something is an action plan to improve and a plan to measure that improvement. Obviously, if you don’t learn anything from the feedback then this isn’t possible. So learning from the feedback is a prerequisite to this step.
Finally, the feedback loop begins again with another cycle starting with intentional action improving upon what was done previously.