In May 2024, I enjoyed a coffee chat with seven remarkable leaders and professionals about feedback. Neha Agrawal, a valued Culture’s First community member, facilitated this insightful conversation.
I had the honour of co-hosting this session, during which each participant shared perspectives that significantly contributed to the ideas presented here. I started the summer with this conversation, so bringing this topic up again seems fitting as summer ends. The collective expertise of everyone involved has been valuable in deepening our understanding of building a constructive feedback culture.
When I think back to my younger years, the word “feedback” often triggered feelings of anxiety. However, as I gained more experience, my perspective shifted, and I began to see feedback as an essential tool for growth. While I no longer feel like that nervous young person, I now recognise the significant responsibility of offering feedback to others. Although not entirely new, the following key takeaways have proven incredibly valuable.
The Importance of Frequent and Constructive Feedback
Effective communication and timely feedback are crucial for an organisation’s success. Our brains respond to social threats like physical ones, often triggering a desire to escape. This reaction can happen during feedback conversations, underlining the need to reduce the sense of threat to make these interactions more productive, especially given how fast and complex the current job market is.
Building a Feedback Culture
Creating a culture of feedback doesn’t happen overnight; it requires consistent effort and an intentional process. Leaders should start with low-stakes feedback exchanges that go both ways before gradually moving on to more significant topics. This approach will also help building trust and comfort around feedback, reducing anxiety and defensiveness.
Consistency, Specificity, and Empathy
Effective feedback should be consistent, specific, and delivered with empathy. Consistency ensures that feedback is perceived as a regular, supportive process rather than an occasional critique. Specific feedback helps individuals understand exactly what needs improvement, making the process clear and actionable. Empathy ensures that feedback is received constructively, developing a setting where individuals feel valued and understood.
Autonomy and Cultural Sensitivity
Empowering individuals to choose how they act upon feedback is important. This approach respects personal preferences and cultural differences, fostering a sense of ownership and encouraging both personal and professional growth. When people feel they have control over how to execute feedback, they are more likely to embrace it and make meaningful changes. Additionally, being culturally sensitive ensures that feedback is appropriate and effective across diverse teams.
Aligning Coaching Objectives with Team Goals
Aligning feedback with both individual and team goals ensures that the energy invested is productive and meaningful. This alignment improves engagement and collaboration within the team, making the feedback more effective. When feedback is tied to both individual and team objectives, it reinforces the importance of each person’s contributions to the organisation’s overall goals.
Understanding Factors Affecting Performance
To provide relevant and constructive feedback, it’s also essential to understand the factors affecting an individual’s performance rather than making assumptions. This means taking the time to investigate and address root reasons, whether they involve skill gaps, resource constraints, or external pressures. By doing so, feedback becomes more targeted and effective, helping individuals grow and improve. Understanding these underlying factors also helps in delivering feedback that is fair and supportive, rather than corrective.
Humanising Feedback
It’s important to remember that we’re all humans striving to do our best. Feedback is a powerful tool, but it’s one that can produce a complex range of emotions. Even with the best intentions, feedback can sometimes provoke defensive responses. That’s why it’s so important to approach it with patience, kindness, and a genuine goal to help each other grow. By doing so, we can create a feedback culture that is positive, productive, and above all, human.
I want to take one more opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone who joined our coffee chat in May and contributed to concluding that: Building a culture of constructive feedback requires consistency and intention. By prioritising safety, autonomy, and alignment with team goals, leaders can create an environment where feedback naturally becomes a productive part of the organisational culture.