There’s a lot of bloviating going on out there on the net on the topic of being open to feedback. I was talking to someone the other day about what I was doing here and they asked if I wanted feedback and that got me thinking. Am I open enough to it?

So I went on the net to find out more on the subject and as a result, think that we may be thinking of being open to feedback in the wrong way. Most sites out there give all sorts of info on why being open to feedback is important and how to do it. BORING.

I think it all comes down to vulnerability. If we aren’t vulnerable, we won’t be open to feedback. You need to be vulnerable to put yourself out there, to create something, to stand up and speak for what you believe in, to welcome change.

As Brene Brown says, vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change. The problem is that if you can’t be vulnerable then you won’t be open to feedback or criticism.

And if you can be vulnerable then you’ll be looking for feedback. This is what good innovators, creative types and change artists have to be. They might not be open to verbal feedback but the ultimate criticism is to have your work, your ideas, your efforts rejected.

The big corollary to all this is that if you aren’t open to feedback then you aren’t being vulnerable. This means you aren’t putting your best foot forward. You aren’t giving it your all, stretching yourself to create.

If you can’t be open to feedback, if you can’t be vulnerable, why bother even showing up?