A couple of months back, despite our parental best efforts to warn my son Noah that High School was a step up, he insisted that he was "smart enough" to continue to rely on his less than stellar study habits.
After his first month of just barely getting by, he finally admitted that he needed to read his assignments thoroughly (instead of skimming over them), take actual notes and spend time studying for exams.
[This one always needs to fail spectacularly before changing course].
The worst part isn’t that he did poorly on his initial rounds of tests. It was that the signs things weren't going well were there for weeks (based on quizzes and feedback from teachers).
Signs that he ignored (like most teenagers, Noah prefers to stick his head in the sand, thinking things will somehow magically come together the way he wants).
Thankfully, he has righted the ship.
This got me thinking about how our brain likes to ignore and pretend away. As if not paying attention will somehow make the bad result not as bad as we fear (when it’s actually a sure-fire way to ensure the worst will happen).
Which is where a feedback loop comes into play.
Noah has implemented a feedback loop of his own.
After every test, he and I meet to discuss his input, the resulting output and what changes should be made (if any) based on said input and results.
Feedback loops are not easy to implement. Not because of the loop itself (or implementation of it) but because of the discomfort caused by the information you’re looking at.
The point of a feedback loop is to identify where you made mistakes and could have done better (along with what you did well and can double down on).
Which can feel very uncomfortable!
Yet it’s the only way to get deeper insight into what is (and isn’t) working, making it well worth the discomfort.
Where do you need a feedback loop, Friend?
XO,
Heather
P.S. Most lawyers need - yet don’t have - a client feedback loop. Which is why I invited Blake Grewal onto the podcast to chat about why - and how - to get client feedback. Listen here.
