1. First and foremost, Pay Attention! And just be open and receptive. That's at least half the battle. There's no shortage of incoming data to tell us others' points of view on our favorite topic - ourselves - if we'll just access it. I'm pretty comfortable on stage in front of an audience. For a while there, I avoided feedback on my presentations (which was a pretty stupid thing to do), because I thought "I've got this," and, if I'm really honest, because I feared the blow to my ego that such feedback might deliver. Then I changed. I started seeking out, and, get this, listening to what people were telling me. And guess what. It really wasn't all that painful. And I think it's made me a better speaker. (Hire me, to see for yourself ;-)
2. Don't be the Witch in the Wiz. In the musical, "The Wiz", an adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz", the Wicked Witch of the West sings a catchy song in which she adjures her minions not to bring her "No Bad News". And they don't. And Dorothy melts her. Oh well... Maybe if she hadn't been known to "shoot the messenger", she wouldn't have suffered such a fate. Don't bite the hand that feedbacks you. Feedback is, indeed, a gift. Thank, don't attack, those who give you that gift.
3. Pick a trusted partner. Find someone you trust, and with whom you share a mutual relationship of caring. Give them full permission (in fact almost demand it) to tell you things you need to know (but may not want to hear). Proactively solicit their views from time to time (but don't get annoying about it...) Offer to serve in the same capacity for them.
4. Create a self-aware organization. On a regular basis, formally seek out input on your entire enterprise, through the deployment of employee surveys. Then use the results as part of your overall organizational dashboard. We can help with that.
* By the way, Scots and their descendants really DO celebrate Robert Burns on January 25 every year. He's probably the only poet in history to inspire such a celebration. If you never knew a "Burns Supper" was a thing, you might find this of interest.