Seek and Use Feedback for Successful Engineering Career
Seek and Use Feedback for Successful Engineering Career
Feedback can sting, but it’s one of the fastest ways for an engineer to grow. Here’s how to ask for feedback, hear it clearly, and turn it into an action plan.
If you want to improve as an engineer and advance in your career, it’s crucial for you to seek out feedback from others and receive it in a way that will lead to growth.
Feedback—especially when it’s critical and unexpected—can be tough to take. But if you are proactive in asking for it and have the right mindset in accepting it, it can be extremely helpful to your long-term success.
“In engineering, effective feedback speeds up learning, helps refine decision-making, and drives ongoing improvement in both individual and team performance,” said Todd Larsen, co-founder of Tech Leaders. “Think of feedback as useful information that can help you grow professionally. It’s not just about you—it’s about improving your project and contributing to the team.”
But before you just go out and ask for feedback on your performance, there are a few things to consider. For one thing, keep in mind that many people may not want to give honest feedback because they fear it will end up hurting them, said Chelsea Troy, staff data engineer at Mozilla and lecturer at the University of Chicago.
“We are often asked for feedback in the workplace, but if we do it ‘wrong,’ then we can hurt our own advancement potential,” said Troy, who wrote a blog series about feedback.
The chances of suffering negative consequences after giving feedback are high and the chances for a positive outcome are low—even if the recipient requested it. If the recipient gets upset or perceives the feedback as unkind, you might “get branded as ‘abrasive’ [or] ‘aggressive’ for having endeavored to give this feedback. People who get branded with these terms don’t get promoted,” Troy said.
However, she added, you can build trust with people to make them feel safer and more willing to give you feedback by taking certain steps, including the following:
• Share specific goals and ask for feedback about how to reach those goals.
By being specific about the feedback you want, it helps to control the focus of the feedback and makes it easier for people to think of examples. This will help them pinpoint and explain their perception of your skills. It also makes it easier for them to frame their feedback as an attempt to help you, which makes it easier for you to receive the feedback in a positive way. “They can frame their feedback as ‘I think you could get closer to your goal by doing X instead of Y,’” Troy said. “Now… they’re helping us find the shortest path to our goal.”
• Reward people who give you feedback.
First, thank them for their feedback. Then act on it. It’s helpful if you explain to the person how you are going to act on the feedback. This will signal that you take this person and their judgment seriously, which goes a long way, Troy said. Lastly, you’ll want to praise the person for their feedback. Let their boss and others know in various settings how this person’s feedback has helped you improve and move toward meeting your mission-critical goals.
By doing the above with people you want to receive feedback from—such as your colleagues, your boss, or others who are affected by your work—you are more likely to get the feedback you need to be successful in your work. But that doesn’t mean the feedback won’t hurt.
When we get feedback—whether it’s solicited or not—it’s often hard to hear. How do you establish a mindset of being open to receiving constructive feedback?
Remember to think of feedback as useful information that will help you improve, Larsen said. He offers the following tips for staying open to feedback:
• Listen carefully without preparing a response in your head.
• Take notes to capture specific details and examples.
• Ask questions to clarify anything you don’t understand.
• Separate the actual feedback from any emotional reactions you might have.
And if the feedback is especially difficult to hear or is delivered in a harsh manner, Larsen said, “the key is to stay professional and focus on what you can learn.” He recommends doing the following:
• Take a moment to process before responding.
• Focus on the main message, not how it was delivered.
• Ask for specific examples to fully understand the concerns.
• Request a follow-up if you need time to reflect on the feedback.
Instead of getting defensive, Larsen suggests asking questions such as:
• Can you share a specific example to help me understand?
• What would improved performance in this area look like?
• Are there any resources you’d recommend for me to learn more?
“Once you embrace this perspective, focus on turning the feedback into meaningful actions,” Larsen said. “Turning feedback into improvements requires a clear plan.”
He recommends the following steps:
1. Document and prioritize.
Lay out an action plan that outlines the specific areas in need of improvement, a timeline for implementing the changes, resources you’ll need, and how you’ll measure success.
2. Break it down.
Divide complex feedback into smaller, manageable steps. For example, you might review design patterns, study industry best practices, collaborate with experienced team members, or set up automated tools to maintain quality.
3. Track your progress.
Keep a log of how you’re addressing feedback. This helps you monitor your growth, spot trends, and have concrete examples ready for future discussions.
“Even feedback that feels harsh can offer useful insights,” Larsen said. “By staying open-minded and focusing on actionable steps, you can turn difficult feedback into an opportunity to grow and improve.”
These are important lessons that become even more important as you progress in your career, Troy added.
“These two skills—soliciting feedback and responding to feedback—go from being tangential, to nice-to-have, to critical over time,” she said. “We increase in seniority. Our jobs get more complicated. The genuine support and trust of our team become essential to getting our plans executed. Luckily, like any skill, they get easier with time and attention.”
Claudia Hoffacker is an independent writer in Minneapolis.
Feedback—especially when it’s critical and unexpected—can be tough to take. But if you are proactive in asking for it and have the right mindset in accepting it, it can be extremely helpful to your long-term success.
“In engineering, effective feedback speeds up learning, helps refine decision-making, and drives ongoing improvement in both individual and team performance,” said Todd Larsen, co-founder of Tech Leaders. “Think of feedback as useful information that can help you grow professionally. It’s not just about you—it’s about improving your project and contributing to the team.”
Ways to solicit feedback
But before you just go out and ask for feedback on your performance, there are a few things to consider. For one thing, keep in mind that many people may not want to give honest feedback because they fear it will end up hurting them, said Chelsea Troy, staff data engineer at Mozilla and lecturer at the University of Chicago.
“We are often asked for feedback in the workplace, but if we do it ‘wrong,’ then we can hurt our own advancement potential,” said Troy, who wrote a blog series about feedback.
The chances of suffering negative consequences after giving feedback are high and the chances for a positive outcome are low—even if the recipient requested it. If the recipient gets upset or perceives the feedback as unkind, you might “get branded as ‘abrasive’ [or] ‘aggressive’ for having endeavored to give this feedback. People who get branded with these terms don’t get promoted,” Troy said.
However, she added, you can build trust with people to make them feel safer and more willing to give you feedback by taking certain steps, including the following:
• Share specific goals and ask for feedback about how to reach those goals.
By being specific about the feedback you want, it helps to control the focus of the feedback and makes it easier for people to think of examples. This will help them pinpoint and explain their perception of your skills. It also makes it easier for them to frame their feedback as an attempt to help you, which makes it easier for you to receive the feedback in a positive way. “They can frame their feedback as ‘I think you could get closer to your goal by doing X instead of Y,’” Troy said. “Now… they’re helping us find the shortest path to our goal.”
• Reward people who give you feedback.
First, thank them for their feedback. Then act on it. It’s helpful if you explain to the person how you are going to act on the feedback. This will signal that you take this person and their judgment seriously, which goes a long way, Troy said. Lastly, you’ll want to praise the person for their feedback. Let their boss and others know in various settings how this person’s feedback has helped you improve and move toward meeting your mission-critical goals.
By doing the above with people you want to receive feedback from—such as your colleagues, your boss, or others who are affected by your work—you are more likely to get the feedback you need to be successful in your work. But that doesn’t mean the feedback won’t hurt.
Respond to feedback
When we get feedback—whether it’s solicited or not—it’s often hard to hear. How do you establish a mindset of being open to receiving constructive feedback?
Remember to think of feedback as useful information that will help you improve, Larsen said. He offers the following tips for staying open to feedback:
• Listen carefully without preparing a response in your head.
• Take notes to capture specific details and examples.
• Ask questions to clarify anything you don’t understand.
• Separate the actual feedback from any emotional reactions you might have.
And if the feedback is especially difficult to hear or is delivered in a harsh manner, Larsen said, “the key is to stay professional and focus on what you can learn.” He recommends doing the following:
• Take a moment to process before responding.
• Focus on the main message, not how it was delivered.
• Ask for specific examples to fully understand the concerns.
• Request a follow-up if you need time to reflect on the feedback.
Instead of getting defensive, Larsen suggests asking questions such as:
• Can you share a specific example to help me understand?
• What would improved performance in this area look like?
• Are there any resources you’d recommend for me to learn more?
Act on the feedback to improve yourself
“Once you embrace this perspective, focus on turning the feedback into meaningful actions,” Larsen said. “Turning feedback into improvements requires a clear plan.”
He recommends the following steps:
1. Document and prioritize.
Lay out an action plan that outlines the specific areas in need of improvement, a timeline for implementing the changes, resources you’ll need, and how you’ll measure success.
2. Break it down.
Divide complex feedback into smaller, manageable steps. For example, you might review design patterns, study industry best practices, collaborate with experienced team members, or set up automated tools to maintain quality.
3. Track your progress.
Keep a log of how you’re addressing feedback. This helps you monitor your growth, spot trends, and have concrete examples ready for future discussions.
“Even feedback that feels harsh can offer useful insights,” Larsen said. “By staying open-minded and focusing on actionable steps, you can turn difficult feedback into an opportunity to grow and improve.”
Pivoting to a New Industry
Mechanical engineers can leverage their skills to transition into fast-growing fields—and thrive.
“These two skills—soliciting feedback and responding to feedback—go from being tangential, to nice-to-have, to critical over time,” she said. “We increase in seniority. Our jobs get more complicated. The genuine support and trust of our team become essential to getting our plans executed. Luckily, like any skill, they get easier with time and attention.”
Claudia Hoffacker is an independent writer in Minneapolis.
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