Gratitude Focus: Today I’m Grateful For People Who Know What To Do With Feedback

Reflection/Why I’m Grateful:

A while ago, a colleague pitched an idea to me. And the idea had legs — real potential. But the energy behind it pushed it forward too quickly, without the deeper thinking that any good idea deserves. That rush jarred a few people who didn’t see its relevance.

I actually did see its relevance. I saw the strategic opportunity beneath the surface. I knew it needed development, refinement, framing — the kind of work that turns a tactic into long-term growth. But instead of stepping in immediately, I let their peers give the feedback they naturally give.

You know how it goes: people are great at articulating what they don’t like, but they often struggle to name what they actually want or where the value might be. They didn’t see what I saw, but I let the process unfold.

This colleague received a lot of critical feedback — the kind that, depending on your personality, can cost you a few nights of sleep. But they handled it beautifully. They accepted it, challenged their own thinking, interrogated their assumptions, and then came back to me at the right level, at the right time. That allowed me to provide the additional framing that made the session more valuable for the business.

Because here’s the truth: the work of leadership is the work of investing in value-added activities. And the most value-added activity — though we often avoid it — is investing time in our own growth and our own thinking.

Some leaders resist that. They don’t yet understand that the greatest gift you can give any business is to pour into its people, to equip them with fresh tools, to sharpen how they think. It may feel tactical. It may feel beneath your title. But it is essential.

This was a two-hour session — simple on the surface, but deeply meaningful. A step in the right direction. And I’m grateful that this colleague took the feedback, enhanced the session, and ultimately made it a good use of my time. That’s a high bar.

“Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance.”— Proverbs 1:5

How well do you receive feedback — not just the kind that affirms you, but the kind that stretches you into who you need to become?

Question for Reflection

 

 

Hi, I’m Orvin Kimbrough, volunteer, board director, chairman, and CEO. I help professionals move from feeling stuck to being strengthened by reshaping how they think, lead, and live. My work focuses on confidence, leadership, and influence through mindset shifts, expanded networks, and bold, values-aligned action. My perspective is rooted in lived experience, from growing up in foster care to leading complex institutions as a CEO and shaped by faith, resilience, and a deep belief in human potential.

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Twice Over a Man

A memoir often described as a leadership guide wrapped in an honest, relatable story of perseverance, healing, and growth. It explores how pain can be reframed into purpose and how ordinary people build meaningful lives through courage and clarity.

More Than a Conqueror

Written for teens and young adults, this book encourages confidence, resilience, and identity formation during the years when self-belief is being shaped.

Ward and the State

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Tags: Gratitude