In Project Management, there are five recognized stages involved in every project: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring & control, and closure. While every stage is unique and incredibly valuable to the entire project cycle, I admire the value of monitoring and control to a project.

Monitoring and control is the project stage where objectives are matched with outcome, and decision is made whether to proceed to closure or go back to the beginning. In effect, it evaluates execution, qualifies planning, and/or even criticizes initiation. Simply put, it is the feedback loop that fine-tunes a project delivery.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, talking about feedback, said “I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better…” Coming from a global Engineer and serial entrepreneur, you can bet on it.

At a personal level, you need to create a feedback loop to constantly reassess your delivery at work, at home, and everywhere else. You need to seek feedback constantly, but most importantly be open to it. Your bosses give you feedback formally through appraisals, but even before that they naturally give you feedback daily on your performance. Colleagues are another untapped feedback channel in the office. Ask questions about your work and office conduct. They are happy to share.

How feedback works is this: as soon as you receive it, it genuinely gets you thinking, it shines light on areas you were too close to see, it stimulates a creative episode in your mind, and the outcome is often a better version of yourself or your project.

Businesses that do not maintain a feedback loop, fail to improve their processes or redesign their products. They prefer the praise-singing crowd that mask the faults observed, causing negative feedbacks to sip through the crack, and the business remains average.

Friend, you need feedbacks, and you need them often. Stop shying away from those that criticize you, especially when they are your friends. Good feedback is a gift. Appreciate it. Accept it. Ask for it even. You become better by doing so.

I’m still rooting for you. Cheers.