Asking for feedback ≠ receiving good feedback.
You can ask for all the feedback you want — lots of people do — but if your non-verbal communication is not in agreement with your words, then the feedback you’ll get will just be performative. On minor, non-“risky” issues.
You can, of course, say you’ve checked the box, you’ve asked for feedback and you got some. But if your people don’t feel safe, if they don’t feel they can be honest with you, the feedback you receive will be largely useless.
That’s not what you want (or it might be, dunno) and it’s definitely not conducive to your growth. When you ask for feedback, you need to be aware of the power dynamics between you and your people, how you ask for it, and how you react to it once you get it.
The bigger the perceived power gap, the more reserved/reluctant the person with the lesser power is going to be. Make sure to show some vulnerability on your side to balance out the power dynamic.
When asking for feedback directly — underline why you are asking for feedback (e.g. “for me to improve and to be able to help you and support you better”, etc.) and don’t be afraid to probe into and help the other person dive deeper into the feedback they are trying to give.
Now, once you receive the feedback. It’s natural for your mind to try to go on the defensive — do not succumb to the urge. Take a moment, assume positive intent, and, no matter what, do not criticize the feedback giver.
This will shut them down & prevent them from giving honest feedback in the future & that’s exactly what you want to avoid. Even if you feel the feedback sucks/is untrue, that’s what they feel, that’s their perception. Try to make a plan to improve (your direct actions or their perception) & follow-up with them later on to show that you are taking their feedback seriously.
Keep going like this & you’ll be good.