Three months ago, I started my internship at Avant and was given the opportunity to use LUMEN; a talent development app that enhances employee development, growth, retention and engagement by providing real-time feedback. I chose agility as my main goal, because adapting to changing circumstances is not my strong suit, and I know that many organizations value and may even require this of their up and coming young leaders. It was an ambitious choice, but LUMEN made the process less daunting. Through my key action items, raters’ feedback and meaningful reflection I was able to progress toward my goal and gather a few key takeaways along the way.
Change starts with awareness
When working toward a goal, a good place to start is to bring awareness to where and how a behavior (or absence of behavior) shows up in everyday life. My first few action items consisted of exactly this – raising my awareness. For example, I scheduled a weekly lookback to record the frequency of my stress responses. This moment of attention allowed me to more deeply understand my unique triggers and reactions. Through greater awareness, I quickly came to the realization that when I am suddenly hit with a change, my brain fixates on it and spirals out of control. The feedback I received through LUMEN encouraged me to slow down and take a moment to reflect on this reaction. Rather than simply acknowledging a moment of imperfection and/or celebrating a success, LUMEN helped me to delve into why it happened, what could have been different and/or what to repeat. Greater awareness is the first step to creating actionable change.
Feedback is an act of kindness
Feedback can be sensitive, uncomfortable and challenging. However, feedback enables growth and is therefore a kindness to the learner. LUMEN not only helped me progress toward my goals, but it also taught me how to thoughtfully give and receive feedback. At first, I was really sensitive to my raters’ feedback, given they were people whose opinions I value. So, when given a 1 for an extremely unagile moment of overthinking, I was personally offended and started to ruminate on what I could have done to deserve such a low rating. After discussing it with my rater, I was reassured that they had my best-interest in mind and were only trying to offer helpful feedback. By shifting my mindset about feedback to perceive it as an act of kindness that enables growth, I was able to receive it in a more meaningful, comfortable and constructive way.
Growth isn't always linear
Given that humans are imperfect, we can assume that are growth patterns will be, too. I often have the expectation that my growth will be linear, by which I mean I will make consistent and steady progress toward my goal. However, by nature, we are bound to hit a few bumps in the road or take a few steps back. I surely did. For a few weeks I was receiving consistently high ratings, then suddenly a 2 popped-up on my dashboard from one of my raters. A 2 is very far from a 10, so I was instantly frustrated not knowing where I went wrong. Fortunately, LUMEN allowed me to look closer at this bump in the road to better understand its cause. Through this moment of reflection, I reminded myself that it was mid-term season, so I really should cut myself a break. In the end, this experience showed me that linear growth is impossible to achieve, so learners must be kind to themselves and remember that the bad moments help us strategize for a better future.
Working toward a goal, big or small, takes tremendous energy and discipline. LUMEN created a safe place to document my progress and receive meaningful feedback. By raising my own awareness, accepting the kindness of feedback from others, and remembering that growth can be inconsistent, I have become more adaptable and attentive to my reactions and, therefore, more accepting of change. LUMEN has been an enriching experience that will leave an impact on my future as a professional and a leader.