In a word – “Feedback”. Plain and simple.
It’s a given that while we work with our customers and clients we get some feedback along the way – “This is good”, “This needs to move over here”, “Make this red”, etc. That sort of feedback, however, is a little superficial in the grand scheme of things and not quite the feedback we’re in need of most. The feedback I’ve been missing for the past few years is the piece of the traditional employee-employer (“working for the man”) relationship. We might bitch and moan about it when we’re there within that context, but to be frank – the annual review is crucial. How else are we to know what we need to improve on?
As a freelancer – these constructs no longer exist if we don’t want them to. Which is nice to begin with. We’re free! Right?! Right. But, over time the novelty and the doubt will creep in and you’ll be left wondering – “What is it that I could do better?”. I’ve found myself longing for this feedback as of late and, while it’s a little scary and my lizard brain is wailing like a banshee, I’m pulling the trigger.
I’ll be asking my clients upon project completion just what it is that I did well on, and what I done poorly or could use some work. To some it might be counter-intuitive – “They hired you, right? They had to have confidence.” – but I’m more interested and excited to know for sure. No gray area. No guessing. No assumptions. Running a business is just that – it’s business. There’s nothing personal about this. Tell me how my business can be better.
I’m sure a good number of my fellow freelancers have been doing this for months (years) and wondering what’s taken me so long. I really wish I had an answer for that, but I don’t. Would those of you who have been doing this have any suggestions? Are there any questions you’ve asked that get the most constructive and helpful reaction?
Continuing on this theme, but a different post for another day, is feedback from a different slice of our professional life – our peers. To be continued …
I don’t freelance/consult full-time, so I may not be the perfect audience. But, I’ve thought this a hundred times. I’ve never solicited this review “officially.” It’s always been informal & conversational. And I find that, as long as I’m willing to sit there and take my lashes, the conversation usually goes very well. I’ll write down suggestions & feedback from the client and, after we’re done, I’ll sift through it and take it all to heart.
I’d be very interested to hear what other feedback you get on this subject.
I doubt you’ll get a definitive answer to this. Your peers can provide feedback on your work, but really only your clients and accountant can endorse your business. Ultimately people vote with their feet. I encourage clients to provide candid feedback, but they very rarely do. If it’s a question of performance benchmarking, could it be that your question is too influenced by past experiences?. Time for a different type of measurement??
@TJ you’ll be among the first to know how this goes. There’s no perfect way for any of us to do this so it’ll be an organic, ongoing experiment.
@Conor you’re absolutely right. People DO vote with their feet. I just want to know what the root of the decision to proverbially walk in either direction is.
My expectations are appropriately set with this as I’m sure the desired outcome will not align with what I get. I have a feeling this is going to result in responses that could be placed in two different extremes. No projects are perfect, so there’ll be those that hoped for the moon, but got what they paid for and will respond accordingly – and those that might just be inherently nice people and find it difficult to pick out the trouble spots. In either case the survey, in essence, “fails”. I will have received little positive feedback, or little constructive criticism.
Of course, that’s the pessimist in me. I’ll never know unless I try, right?
the client will vote with their feet, but you may as well get some valuable feedback (even if not pleasant) before they shuffle off.
default case: they don’t bother.
best case: they realize you want to improve your processes, communication, etc. to better meet their needs.
worst case: they don’t bother.
so, if the worst case = the default case, you have nothing to lose.
I’m glad you’re writing about this. It’s putting mental pressure on me to do it too.
But Mike is right, the end is too late to do this. Much like an annual review is useless unless there is good feedback along the way (which there usually isn’t, rendering that big yearly review a pointless exercise).
Hey Josh,
This is not meant to post to your page, but I don’t get to see you online that often. I thought you should know, that there are so many times when I remember your words describing it best.
Living in California is like living in a goddamned Smashmouth video.
i love my job, but this is an insane State.
That’s all.
Best to you and yours
Liz