Feedback culture in leadership

Why a feedback culture leads to more innovation and creativity

Leader Question: What did your last feedback look like?

Gulp The word feedback likes to come with an aftertaste. Why? Because we've had too many conversations that were impersonal, critical and one-sided! Can we change that?

Yes, we can! Let's dig into the topic of feedback in the workplace and why it's so important to challenge it, reinvent it, and how we can learn to have the most productive (and less scary) feedback conversations.

Why is a good feedback culture important?

Feedback is a super important and underrated tool. It helps build and develop team skills, improve team dynamics, and increase Hands On Mentality. However, the success of feedback depends on how it is given and received, because as mentioned above, feedback needs to be dissociated from fear.

Benefits of Feedback

A good feedback culture is one in which feedback is given regularly and constructively. And not just when things go wrong, but also when things go well. Specific, actionable and given in a timely manner, your team can identify what they are doing well and what may be improved. A good feedback culture also promotes open communication and dialogue. This encourages your team to give and receive feedback and see it as something totally normal. Because when your team feels comfortable giving and receiving feedback, it leads to a better team dynamic! At the end of the day, we all just want to be seen and heard - including you, as the leader. The Mad Man era is definitely over!

When we receive regular feedback, we feel like our work is valued and that our contributions matter = more motivation, accountability and engagement. It also makes it more likely that your team will want to stay with you long term. Saves money and resources! 💸 Looking at the current super high employee turnover we really can't afford not to at least take a quick look. #justsaying 🤌 Good feedback requires practice and tact.

✨ Focus on the behavior, not the person

Don't make feedback personal! Focus on the behavior or performance. Instead of "You're disorganized," rather "I think it would be helpful if we could make a list of tasks to be more organized." We are all not 13 anymore and everyone has the right to be treated respectfully. How we speak to a person ultimately says more about ourselves than the person in front of us. #thinkaboutit

✨ Highlight the positive

Feedback often has a negative connotation because it is associated with criticism, correction, or judgment. Yet feedback can be affirming and motivating! To build a good feedback culture, it is important to emphasize positive aspects and create a balance between positive and negative points. Positive feedback can reinforce desired behaviors, recognize accomplishments, and facilitate the receipt of negative feedback. Trust is key!

✨ Give timely and specific feedback

Feedback is most effective when given in a timely and specific manner. Late or vague feedback may lose its relevance because the recipient may have already forgotten the context or details of the situation. To provide timely and specific feedback, you can set up regular check-ins with your team.

✨ Encourage feedback from all levels

Feedback should not be limited to top-down or one-way communication. To build a good feedback culture, it's better to encourage feedback from all levels and directions, including colleague to colleague, employee to leader, and leader to employee.

✨ Motivate a growth mindset.

To build an effective feedback culture, it helps to foster a growth mindset in teams by praising efforts rather than simply "overlooking" them, and seeing feedback as an opportunity to learn and improve.

In Short: A good feedback culture can lead to more innovation and creativity. When your team feels comfortable sharing their ideas and receiving feedback, it can lead to new and innovative solutions to problems. This can help any company stay competitive and adapt to changing market conditions. It leads to better performance, higher job satisfaction, better team dynamics, greater employee engagement and motivation! Lets do this! 💃