I Want Feedback Now
In my very first real job as a busboy in an Italian restaurant in my hometown, I was told how to do the basics, what time to get to work, and what to wear (black dress pants, white shirt, black tie, comfortable shoes. What ultimately made me one of the best busboys in the restaurant, was my willingness to figure out how to do every single task a little better and little faster than the other guy.
The waitresses tipped me well and I loved the positive attention from Dom and Vito, the owners. What made me different was my interest in knowing how each task could be done more efficiently and with the least amount of effort. The feedback I received was immediate. I knew that night whether I did a good job or not.
I carried this attitude with me as I progressed through different jobs in my career, usually with great success. The reason I knew I was on track was I usually received immediate feedback from my work. Initially, a clean table free of dirty dishes and reset with new silverware meant success. An extra dollar or two and a wink from the cute older waitress was also a sign I was on the right track.
If you read a previous post about being in flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi the person who first quantified this characteristic of human performance said that one aspect of being in flow is that immediate feedback is available. When I think about working hard at the restaurant, I was certainly in flow considering the first two elements needed. The goals and deliverables were very clear, and feedback was immediate and available.
Ambiguous goals and deliverables or those that are ever changing make it difficult to get into flow. When your goals and deliverables are muddled you will forever stumble. Does your superior or boss have ever-changing goals and objectives causing you to be unclear about what it is you are to deliver on a daily basis? This doesn’t have to be an obstacle to getting onto flow.
Think of the small habits and activities that you do every day. Developing and forming any habit is matter of repetition. Good or bad, habits are formed, and your brain tells you this is “what I do”. A good habit, like exercise or a good nutrition discipline builds on a strong and healthy life. Drinking and eating to excess will likely result in the opposite. But each habit starts with one small step…one tiny step towards success.
Immediate feedback is good and when you are in flow you are getting that feedback in droves. The small habits you form layer on top of each other and ultimately give you the feedback you are seeking. You feel good, this begets more success and you are feeling it know. You want that flow and you want it now.
