6 Essential Tips to Build a Feedback Culture That Fosters Trust and Growth
One of the best ways to create a culture of trust and respect is by acknowledging, addressing and improving–based on direct feedback from your colleagues and stakeholders. Without feedback from those who have our best interests in mind, we will never grow. When we think of feedback as the stepping stone to growth, it can shift it from a scary experience to one of excitement and opportunity. Creating a feedback culture is key.
By formal definition, feedback is information about reactions to a product, experience or a person’s performance of a task, used as a basis for improvement. I’d challenge that definition because it implies that the only kind of feedback is constructive criticism. Feedback can and should also be that of affirmation and validation on what is going right.
Feedback is one of the most untapped resources in town. With it, organizations and individuals can remove the guesswork on what is going well and what can be improved. But that can only happen when a culture of trust, transparency, and accountability are in place.
Looking for tangible ways to improve your process around feedback and mutual growth? Here are 6 tips on how to create a feedback culture:
1. Make sure it goes two ways.
If you’re dishing it out, make sure you’re receiving it at equal levels. Oftentimes, we think it’s a manager’s role to provide criticism for their team members. It’s short-sighted to think that those very teammates don’t have feedback for their supervisor. Want to make sure that happens? At the end of a one-on-one meeting ask, “What could I be doing differently to help you with your success?”
2. Provide the good and the constructive.
If you’re only telling someone how they can improve, imagine what a toll that can take on their sense of belonging, value, and confidence. Now I’m not saying to do the “praise sandwich” (that’s such BS!) or give compliments that aren’t earned; I feel it’s equally as important to recognize when things are going right as it is when they’re not.
3. If you can say it to a dog, it’s not feedback.
This is on my favorite sayings list for a reason. Think about it…”Good job,” or “Well done,” gives no context for what was done well! The more specific you can get, the better. Consider this, instead: “Kesha, you did amazing work on that presentation. I was particularly impressed by the graphics you chose and the speed in which you walked the audience through your key points.”
4. Give feedback when you have first-hand knowledge.
I can’t tell you how many of my cross-generational clients are in full rage mode telling me they’re being evaluated for work their manager has never experienced first-hand. In particular, I know an event planner whose supervisor never came to their events, yet had lots of feedback on what they could be doing better. How is it possible for the manager to know if they’re never showing up?
5. Consistently ask for feedback in group AND one-on-one settings.
When reviewing the highs and lows of an experience together, make sure “feedback” is part of the agenda. For people who aren’t especially vocal, meet with them individually to check in about their experience and what could be done differently from their perspective. Be clear and direct: “What is one thing we could have done better?” vs. “Any feedback?”
6. Provide examples of feedback from others.
Should you hear crickets when asking for feedback, it often helps to give an example of what you felt could have been done more effectively. For example, an organizational staffer could say: “One of our volunteers mentioned that he didn’t feel the updates were a good use of our tutoring time together. I had never thought of it that way because it’s always been our routine. How do you all feel? Would you prefer to get the in-person updates via email moving forward? Or could we use that time together differently? I’d love to hear your thoughts.”
Should you engage in any or all of these tips, remember that your tone of voice and body language play an enormous role in how safe people feel in speaking up. It’s critical to creating a feedback culture that is embraced vs. feared.