Receiving feedback can be a scary thing, and the same can often be said for giving feedback to others. And when personal relationships, hard work, and / or a lot of time and effort are involved, things can often feel more challenging. But rest easy folks, mastering the art of feedback doesn’t have to be daunting. In fact, at Maxme, we’ve come to LOVE feedback. It helps us learn from past approaches, grow and improve our offering, heighten our self awareness, and much more. Without it, we really couldn’t move forward. When you think of feedback as a critical tool for development, growth and lifelong learning, it’s a concept we believe everyone can come to embrace, get comfortable with, and encourage! But where to start with feedback, especially in the context of work and career success? Get ready to read, listen and learn!

On our mission to support as many individuals as possible to thrive in work and life, we’re spreading the magic of human skills as widely as possible - through immersive apps, coaching, experiences and partnerships, but also through rich conversations. The Other Side is a mini podcast series by Maxme where our Founder Renata (Ren) Sguario chats with recent graduate James (Jimmy) Oana on the experience of making the leap from Uni to work, and thriving on the other side.

Over 9 episodes (including a bonus intro chat), Ren and Jimmy cover Gen Z career building essentials like what makes a great CV, acing a job interview, seeking and giving feedback, the importance of self awareness, networking, body language and more.

In Episode 9 of The Other Side, Give It to Me Straight, Ren and Jimmy explore the importance of asking for feedback, and the art of both giving and receiving feedback effectively. They review some of James’s past experiences with feedback, alongside Renata’s experience of giving/receiving feedback within the workplace. To close, Ren and Jimmy explore the value of a mentor, and how to seek out the right one for you.

In under 30 minutes, you’ll cover critical tips, insights and tactics for giving and receiving feedback at work:

• The importances of asking for feedback and how to do it
• Giving feedback - order your thoughts with consideration: start with the things that went well before moving to negatives
• Feedback is a gift when given from the heart, with the best constructive interests in mind
• How to receive feedback, especially when it’s negative: how to turn negatives into positives, and build from it
• Jimmy’s personal experiences with feedback: what to do when you’re unsure if your thoughts / feedback is valuable
• Can you give feedback to others more senior to you? Ren’s advice on building confidence in the workplace and within yourself
• Ren’s tips for making feedback purposeful - a great reflection of your personal brand
• What to do with conflicting feedback
• Feedback and the importance of being yourself - do what you think is true to you and represents you the best, then ask for feedback on your approach (baring in mind your interests won’t be right for everyone)
• Asking the right person for feedback, and how to identify the right person
• 360 degree, diverse feedback (not just your friends or people who like you or have similar interests to you)
• How to find a mentor and are they worth it?
• Yes mentors are worth it! Ren’s tips - look for someone who has the time, and approach the relationship with a win-win in mind
• In considering a mentor that’s right for you, think about what can you bring to the table - offer your prospective mentor something new(even as simple as a different way of thinking, or a different, generational perspective).