Asking for feedback takes courage. But listening to it takes even more.

The truth is, it doesn’t always show up when you go looking for it.

Often, it arrives unannounced: a quick glance, an awkward silence, an email left hanging in your inbox. And somehow, without a word, you just know.

Feedback isn’t just something people say in a meeting.

It’s also the atmosphere that settles in after a presentation.

It’s how people speak to you, or stop speaking, after a decision is made.

Sure, you can always ask: “Do you have any comments for me?” But that’s not easy.

Because, let’s face it, it’s scary. Scary to hear things we’d rather not know.

Scary to discover we might not be quite who we thought we were.

That the image we built, carefully and patiently, might need a little touch-up.

And yet, that’s exactly where growth begins.

It starts when, instead of defending yourself, you ask: “Could you explain that a bit more?”

When, instead of shutting down, you say: “Let me think about it. We can talk again.”

When you start noticing what hasn’t been said too. Because silence, too, speaks.

Feedback isn’t a final judgment. It’s an invitation. To see yourself from a different angle. To tweak one detail at a time. To improve without having to become someone else.

And here’s something important: it doesn’t only come from the boss.

In fact, the most honest words often come from the people who work beside you every day.

The ones who see you at your best, and at your most tired. The ones who, quite simply, see you.

No, it’s not always pleasant. Sometimes it stings. Sometimes it confuses. But if you let it in, more often than not, it does you good. It helps you find your footing. See more clearly.

Catch something you had stopped noticing.

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Truly listening is never easy. But it’s where change begins. Feedback, if you let it in, becomes a compass. Explore how coaching can help and consider joining a pro bono cycle with me. Nicola Arnese offers these sessions in his spare time to avoid conflicts with professional commitments. Some scheduling flexibility may be required.