It’s frustrating to get some ambiguous piece of feedback like, “You’re doing a fine job.” How, exactly? What is the definition of fine? So, things could be better or is this what you wanted from me?

Sometimes employees are left to seek out the feedback they need in order to do their jobs better. However, it’s not always comfortable asking for feedback. Then, once you get it, you need to know how to interpret it and make it part of your goals and action plan.

That’s why it’s important to have a coach in your corner to help you find the right way to ask for that feedback, help you interpret it and make it part of your plan for success. Because in today’s ever-changing work environment, feedback has become more important than ever.

The Evolution of Feedback

Feedback once was the sole domain of the human resources (HR) department. People only received feedback as part of a performance review or some formal development opportunities. That caused employees to think they would only get some kind of an assessment no more than once a year, maybe quarterly if they were “lucky.”

A shake-up in the performance management process over the last 20 years got people in the workplace asking what performance management was all about. What it’s about is setting goals and monitoring progress against those goals. To do this, there have to be periods of measurement, where feedback is essential. That feedback is important to helping people grow and develop. This performance management reckoning forced — in a good way — companies to rethink having more free-flowing, ongoing feedback and conversations versus waiting for the quarterly or annual review. That way, changes can be made in real time, when it matters.

Ways Coaches Help

Keep in mind, coaches are different from mentors. You’re more likely to get proactive feedback, advice and guidance from a mentor. There is an element of feedback in a coaching relationship, but the coach is more likely to offer observations and feedback on behavior and changes in a coachee’s mindset.

Coachees should look for opportunities where their coach can provide observations about goal progress, changes in mindset and behavior, and acknowledging the “aha!” moments that emerge. Although the coach’s main purpose is not to provide feedback, they should be encouraged to ask about any other insight or observations that might be helpful.

A coach can also help someone leverage the feedback they are getting from managers or peers. They can even help someone take a moment to celebrate positive feedback when it happens. Many coaches are also very skilled at interpreting different 360-degree or other assessment tools, which provide a great source of data for an individual looking to improve.

Avoiding the “Black Hole”

Numerous organizations have great intentions of having feedback as part of their culture. But sometimes there are huge pendulum swings. They can go from feedback all the time and constant praise for everything, so it becomes almost meaningless. Then swing to rare or oblique assessments that aren’t written or given in any way to be useful or actionable.

A lot of individuals don’t necessarily know what to do with the feedback, whether it’s sharing that with your manager, bringing that into a coaching session, sharing that with a mentor, or even going back and asking for clarification. Feedback needs to be given in a way that people can make the most of it. Coaching is a really good way to help people with interpreting that feedback and identifying ways to take action.

Managers play such a huge role in our ability to be effective for our engagement, our inspiration and our motivation at work. Being able to work through their feedback with a coach, and then bringing back what you’re learning within that coaching session, can become a powerful tool. You might even involve your manager in certain coaching conversations so there is alignment between your personal development and what is happening in the organization.

Seek It Out

Feedback has never been more important, so you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for it. Your coach can help you find the right way to ask and even the right medium — by email, a video meeting, phone call or face to face. If you’re not ready to confront things that need to change, it’s OK to ask what you did well, because we don’t always celebrate successes. Everyone deserves to know how they’re doing within the scope of their role. Sometimes, all you have to do is ask.