HBR Guides to Managing Your Career Collection (6 Books)

CHAPTER 10

How Getting Actionable Feedback Can Help You Get Promoted

by Sabina Nawaz

When you rise up through the executive ranks, one of the commodities in scarce supply is actionable feedback from those you report to. An occasional fat bonus or raise fills in the blanks for positive feedback, while being assigned to “special” projects—projects that go nowhere—might signal it’s time to move on. What you need to grow is the ability to correct course on the fly. You need consistent, actionable feedback.

How do you get feedback you can use to become a better leader? Here are five ways to solicit concrete, specific observations that can result in being promoted faster:

• Be proactive. Get the feedback you need by asking for it and scheduling a time ...