Overcoming Feedback Frustration

You've finally got that meeting with your boss so you can ask those career-critical questions about your prospects for promotion:

Where do I stand?

How close am I?

Am I on track?

What else can I do to guarantee I'm on the list of next year's Partners?

You've asked all of this before.

But you keep being met with that same frustrating response:

You're doing fine

You're doing everything right

Just keep doing what your're doing

In other words, you get a whole lot of words with not a lot of substance

Nothing you can build a progression plan around

Nothing you can act to make the decision to promote you a done deal

And it is SOOO frustrating.

If this is you, you're not alone

It's exactly what I've been coaching on this week inside Be the First! and in this episode, I'm going to tell you how to solve for it using the Foolproof Feedback Framework (FFF).

Overcoming Feedback Frustration

The FFF is a framework to help ensure you get exactly what you came for at your next annual review, even when the person you work for has nothing helpful or constructive to say.

This may sound like a 'cross your fingers and hope for the best' kind of strategy

It's anything but

It's a concrete way of taking ownership of your progression so that no matter how disengaged or unhelpful your Partner tries to be, you still walk away with valuable information you can action to your advantage.

In episode 111 of the podcast, I show you how. In it, I walk you through the 3-part Foolproof Feedback Framework - a process I created for clients inside Be the First! that guarantees you'll get value from every conversation, even when they try to fob you off with generalities.



P.S. If you're a mid to senior black lawyer and you want to progress in the next 6 to 12 months, Be the First! is the room you want to be in. Enrolment for January 2026 opens on December 10th, so now is the time to prepare. Click here or the link in my profile for details.

00:00 — Introduction: Why Feedback Feels Hard
00:40 — Understanding Feedback Frustration
02:15 — Emotional Triggers Behind Criticism
04:08 — How to Stay Calm When Receiving Feedback
05:36 — Turning Feedback Into Growth Opportunities
07:12 — Asking for Better, Clearer Feedback
09:05 — Building a Feedback-Positive Mindset
10:30 — Final Thoughts & Next Steps

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