Lessons From My Stroke
Five years have passed since my Vertebral Artery Dissection and Minor Stroke, marking a significant milestone in my journey. While lying in the hospital bed, I set an audacious goal for myself—to complete another half-ironman triathlon in just six months. However, the reality of my condition quickly set in. Simple tasks like walking down a corridor or making a sandwich became monumental challenges. My usual activities, such as coaching CEOs, cycling, facilitating workshops, and playing the piano, were suddenly out of reach. It was a tough pill to swallow, and the disappointment in not achieving my unrealistic goal was real.
This journey of healing post-stroke turned into a personal crash course on the power of feedback. Positive and constructive feedback can be incredibly motivating and build confidence even in the face of daunting challenges. On the other hand, poorly delivered feedback can tear a person down and erode their spirit. As a leader, I've realized that the words I use hold immense power; they can either build people up or leave them feeling diminished.
Given the importance of effective communication, I want to help others learn the art of giving feedback that truly makes a difference. That's why I'm thrilled to invite you to a free masterclass titled "How to Give Feedback That Doesn't Suck." This interactive session, which will be held virtually for 60 minutes on August 21st or 22nd (depending on your time zone), is designed to equip you with the Feedback Formula—an essential tool for transforming feedback conversations into opportunities for growth and success.
In the masterclass, we will not only delve into the theory of feedback but also put it into practice. Together, we'll workshop your feedback conversations, giving you hands-on experience and personal breakthroughs. My goal is to ensure you leave the session with tangible strategies you can apply immediately.
As a special highlight, one lucky participant will have the opportunity to be coached by me in the hot seat segment. Witnessing this transformative feedback conversation will provide invaluable insights, helping you further refine your own feedback approach.
So, let's take this step together on the journey of giving feedback that truly makes a difference. I promise to guide you through these conversations in a way that doesn't feel awkward or uncomfortable. Reserve your seat below.
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Episode Transcript:
Kate Peardon: [00:00:00] This year marks five years since my Vertebral Artery Dissection and Minor Stroke. When I was in hospital, I set a goal to do another half-ironman triathlon in six months. Did I reach that goal? No. And it's one of those that not- funny, but kind- of- funny moments because that goal was wildly unrealistic.
Am I disappointed I didn't reach that goal? A little. See the thing is after the stroke I couldn't do regular things like walk down the corridor to the elevator. Remember what day it was or make a sandwich. My usual daily activities like cycling, coaching CEOs, facilitating leadership workshops, or playing the piano, just weren't an option.
I couldn't do anything. And I knew it.
But what was harder than my personal disappointment in my unrealistic goals, was hearing things like, when will you be able to walk further or. Aren't you back working yet from some [00:01:00] people. Hearing these words in reference to seemingly simple tasks brought up so many negative feelings, discouragement and frustration.
And look, maybe that's a bit of an understatement. It really didn't feel good. And fortunately my psychologist and family were the ones who gave me really good feedback. It was specific and encouraging. Things like "great job you're making progress with your balance on the stairs". Or "I can see you're working hard, don't get discouraged. You didn't improve today. It's a marathon, not a sprint".
And healing post-stroke was my personal crash course in the weight feedback holds. Good feedback can motivate and build confidence to continue even if the path forward looks difficult. Giving feedback badly can tear a person down.
As a leader, you have that power. Your words can build people up or leave them feeling. We'll leave them [00:02:00] feeling less than. Unfortunately, we aren't taught how to communicate. And even though humans are social beings, it's not always natural to know what to say. How do you give constructive, specific and supportive feedback that motivates and inspires your team, instead of causing rifts, you don't intend? Let's sort that answer out together.
I'm facilitating a free masterclass on "How to Give Feedback That Doesn't Suck". It's on the 21st or the 22nd of August, depending on what time zone you're in, and it will be done virtually over 60 minutes.
Across this hour, we're going to do three things. First one, learn the Feedback Formula. You will unleash the power of feedback with the Feedback Formula and discover the magic behind effective communication. I'll equip you with essential tools to transform feedback conversations into game-changing opportunities for growth and success.
The second thing we'll do is workshop your Feedback Conversation. Get ready for some hands- on action. [00:03:00] We'll deep dive into one Feedback Conversation you've been longing to have. Don't worry, you'll have the chance to work on it individually, so feel free to keep it to yourself unless you want to share your breakthroughs with the group.
It's really important for me that you leave this masterclass with something tangible that you can hit the ground running with. The third thing we'll cover is the hot seat. So brace yourself with a highlight of the masterclass. It's your chance to shine, as one lucky person gets the opportunity to be coached by me.
And you can witness firsthand how a transformative feedback conversation unfolds. You can also learn from the experience of others as they uncover invaluable insights.
You can jump on the show notes to learn more and save your seat. If you're not familiar with show notes, you go into your podcast list into this episode you are listening to now, and there is some writing written down there. It gives you the summary of the podcast and it also gives you the link. So you can click on the link to save your seat. You can also go to [00:04:00] campus.zenithjourney.com/feedback.
So let's take this step together on giving feedback that doesn't suck. And let me guide you through how to have these conversations in a way that doesn't feel ick. Thanks for tuning in.
