How to Foster Open Feedback

What do you do when someone on your team is brave enough to criticise you? Me? I promote them as soon as possible. Why? Because in high-performing companies, innovation thrives when teams feel empowered to challenge ideas respectfully. As a leader, fostering a culture of constructive dissent can unlock your team’s full potential and fuel spectacular business growth. Here are 5 techniques I use to build openness and encourage dialogue: 1. Encourage continuous feedback Don’t wait for annual reviews or formal discussions. Make candid feedback a regular part of daily operations — through check-ins, town halls, or anonymous surveys. The more often feedback is shared, the less intimidating it becomes. 2. Model respectful dissent How do you react when your ideas are challenged? Leaders should actively invite differing viewpoints and listen with an open mind. When leaders encourage respectful dissent, it signals to everyone that diverse perspectives are truly valued. 3. Reward honest opinions Recognise those who respectfully challenge the status quo. This reinforces the idea that fresh thinking is an asset, not a liability. (Fun fact: The US State Department has an annual Constructive Dissent Award, given to those who courageously stand by their principles.) 4. Be transparent in decision-making After making a decision, explain the reasoning behind it. Even if someone’s idea isn’t chosen, knowing their input was genuinely considered strengthens future buy-in and trust. 5. Align after discussion Once a decision is made, the team must unite behind it to make it work. Remind everyone that while debate is healthy during the process, whole-hearted execution is key to success. You really can criticise your way to success. A culture of constructive dissent leads to smarter decisions and a more productive team. The key? Making sure every voice is heard and valued. Do you agree? Promise not to fire you if you don't!

**Fostering Growth Through Open and Transparent Feedback** 🚀 Today, I want to dive into a topic that's close to my heart: the power of open and transparent feedback in grooming talent. 🌱 In the fast-paced world we navigate, it's crucial to create an environment where feedback isn't just a formality, but a catalyst for growth. 💡 Transparent communication lays the foundation for a culture that nurtures talent, fosters collaboration, and propels individuals to reach their full potential. **1. Honesty breeds excellence:** Let's face it—constructive criticism isn't always easy to deliver or receive. However, it's the cornerstone of improvement. Embracing honesty in our feedback, whether it's positive or points out areas for development, is key to helping our colleagues evolve and excel in their roles. **2. Two-way street of communication:** Feedback isn't a monologue; it's a dialogue. Encouraging open conversations empowers team members to share their perspectives and insights. This two-way street not only promotes a sense of belonging but also ensures that feedback is a collaborative effort aimed at continuous improvement. **3. Specificity is the key:** Vague feedback often leads to confusion. Being specific about what worked well and what could be enhanced provides actionable insights. Whether it's acknowledging a job well done or pinpointing areas that require attention, specificity is the compass that guides individuals toward their professional best. **4. Timely feedback fuels progress:** Timing is everything. Providing feedback in real-time allows individuals to apply insights immediately, preventing the entrenchment of habits that may hinder their growth. Timely feedback is a catalyst for ongoing improvement and ensures that the learning curve remains dynamic. **5. Cultivating a growth mindset:** Open feedback culture is synonymous with cultivating a growth mindset. Encouraging team members to see challenges as opportunities for learning fosters resilience, adaptability, and a hunger for continuous development. In conclusion, a workplace that values open and transparent feedback is a breeding ground for talent development. It's not just about critiquing—it's about nurturing, guiding, and cheering on each other's success. Let's create environments where feedback isn't feared but embraced, where every comment is a stepping stone toward greatness. Together, we can elevate not just our individual careers but the collective success of our teams. #FeedbackCulture #TalentDevelopment #GrowthMindset #Collaboration #ProfessionalDevelopment #learninganddevelopment #feedbackculture #feedbackmatters #talentdevelopment

If my team can’t give me feedback, I’ve failed. Early in my career I would always say, “I am open to feedback.” I said the right things:  “This is a safe space.”  “Speak freely.”  “We value honesty.” Then someone did. They named a real issue calm, thoughtful, direct. And I froze.  I felt exposed and defensive. But I caught myself. Because that moment wasn’t about my comfort.  It was about their courage. So I did what I promised: → Stayed present.  → Asked questions.  → Thanked people, sincerely. They kept bringing ideas. Others followed. Our team got better faster, braver, stronger. Here’s what I’ve learned: 1️⃣ Leadership sets the tone.  When the most senior person in the room  invites tough feedback and acts on it → the whole culture shifts. → people speak up sooner. → problems get solved faster. 2️⃣ Honesty is a gift with a ripple effect. When people know they can say what’s real  without retaliation: → trust grows → issues don’t get buried → teams actually feel like teams 3️⃣ Trust is earned through openness. It doesn’t come from asking for feedback. It comes from how you receive it: → Staying curious → Listening deeply → Following through When leaders protect the people who offer truth, those people keep bringing it. And that’s where better work begins. 🔔 Follow Justin Hills for practical leadership insights.

Want to build trust & transparency in your team? Start with 360-degree feedback: At work, nothing matters more than trust & honesty. 360-degree feedback is a (fantastic) way to do this. I’ve seen it: -Boost performance -Increase collaboration -Improve team dynamics -Create a happy work culture 360-degree feedback lets everyone share their thoughts. It makes employees feel important & brings teams closer together. Here’s a step-by-step blueprint to start using 360-degree feedback: 1. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 What do you want to achieve? Better Communication? -360-degree feedback helps employees talk about hard topics. -This increases happiness & reduces the chances of exit. Find Skill Gaps? -When you locate skill gaps you can help employees improve at their jobs. -Getting feedback helps you locate missing skills. Boost Morale? -Employees are happier & more engaged when they see changes from THEIR feedback. 2. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 Pick a feedback tool that’s easy to use! Choose tools that are simple & match your needs. Options include: - Interviews - Focus groups - Online surveys Make sure the tools cover what you want to assess & are reliable. 3. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 Teach your team how to give (& receive) feedback. -This includes learning how to give & receive feedback the right way. -You should stress honesty & respect via feedback to build trust. -Training helps ensure feedback is useful. 4. 𝗘𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘆 Make the process anonymous to get honest feedback. - Find what works best for your team. - Anonymity fosters (honest) feedback without fear of trouble. - Anonymity encourages honesty, but being open can build trust. 5. 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 & 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 Get feedback from different sources & look for patterns. -Gather feedback from coworkers, team members, & bosses for a complete picture. Looking at feedback helps find patterns & areas to improve. 6. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 Share feedback in a way that helps. -Highlight both strengths & areas to improve so employees understand their performance completely. -Give feedback that helps people grow, don't point out mistakes. -Encourage improvement. 7. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗨𝗽 Have a plan to follow up on the feedback. -Regular follow-ups show your company cares about feedback (this builds trust & engagement). -Create & track plans based on feedback to ensure it leads to (real) improvements. 𝗧𝗟𝗗𝗥 360-degree feedback builds trust & honesty. Follow these steps: 1. Set clear goals 2. Choose the right tools 3. Train your team 4. Ensure anonymity 5. Collect & analyze feedback 6. Provide helpful feedback 7. Follow up Are you ready to use 360-degree feedback to build trust & honesty?

In your 1:1s, things sound fine. Skip-level conversations are polite but rarely go deep. Yet elsewhere, you’re catching whispers of frustration, especially about how your communication lands. It’s hard to improve without clear, honest feedback. But when you're in a position of power, feedback naturally becomes filtered. Not because your team doesn’t care, but because speaking candidly can feel risky. Protecting themselves often feels safer than helping you grow. So how do you create a culture where feedback flows freely? Start by making it safe, not personal. Consider anonymous surveys that ask specific, behavior-based questions.  Engage a coach to facilitate confidential 360s. Create accountability - Invite mentors, advisors to surface insights you might be missing. And when feedback does arrive, treat it like the gift it is. Acknowledge it with appreciation, not defensiveness. Act on it visibly. Let your team see that hard truths lead to healthy change, not hidden consequences. The feedback you most need is often the feedback you’re least likely to receive, unless you actively design systems that make it safe to share.

Feedback fuels High Performance High performance doesn’t happen by chance—it requires a culture where feedback flows freely, consistently, and constructively. Without rich, ongoing, and actionable feedback, growth and performance stall. I was reminded of this recently while listening to Kim Scott’s excellent interview with Guy Raz on the Wisdom from the Top podcast (link in comments—totally worth a listen, especially for her distinction between managing Superstars vs Rockstars). Drawing from her time at Google with Sheryl Sandberg and her experience as a startup founder, Scott developed the Radical Candor framework—a simple yet powerful model for creating feedback-rich environments. At its heart, Radical Candor is about balancing a polarity: caring personally AND challenging directly. It helps us avoid feedback pitfalls like “Ruinous Empathy,” where we avoid difficult conversations to spare feelings, and “Obnoxious Aggression,” where bluntness is delivered without care. Why does this matter for high performance? Because when teams lack actionable feedback, issues fester, decisions are delayed, and growth slows. Feedback isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a critical driver of results and development. Yet, in my experience, many leaders struggle with this skill. Delivering feedback effectively is not innate—it’s learned and practiced. If you’re looking to build a feedback-rich environment, start with a simple exercise: Draw the Radical Candor 2x2 grid on a whiteboard and ask your team to identify your dominant feedback style as a group—not what you wish it was or think it should be, but how you truly experience the team’s feedback culture. Use this as a springboard for an honest and constructive discussion. - What changes would help us operate in the Radical Candor quadrant more consistently? - What agreements can we make to ensure feedback is both frequent and constructive? And, if the team is unable or hesitant to share their view on the feedback culture - well, that’s also data. Organizations that embrace a feedback-rich culture unlock their full potential. The real question isn’t whether feedback is hard—it’s whether you’re willing to accept the cost of not having it.

Ever asked for feedback and gotten crickets? 🦗 You're not imagining it. When you have positional power, asking "how am I doing?" puts people in an impossible spot. Giving you feedback is a social risk. And the more power you hold, the bigger that risk feels to the people around you. So they smile and say "everything's great!" while quietly wondering if being honest will cost them something. I've learned a different approach that actually works. 🤎 Instead of the wide open "give me feedback" request, try being more specific Something like: "I'm working on making sure my communications are clearer after our meetings. Can you help me by noticing how I communicated X today?" Even better? Ask them in advance so they can watch for it. Then follow up: "What did you see? How did you experience that?" This shift does a few things: ✨ It names something specific you're working on (which signals humility) ✨ It gives them permission to help you (not critique you) ✨ It creates a contained space that feels safer to engage with You're not asking them to evaluate you. You're inviting them to support your growth by sharing their experience. That's a very different energy. And people can feel the difference. The foundation underneath all of this is psychological safety. But even in safer environments, specificity makes it easier for people to show up honestly with you. What's one thing you're actively working on as a leader that you could invite specific feedback on this week? If you want support thinking through how to create more honest feedback loops on your team, send me a DM. This is the kind of thing we dig into together. 🌿 #LeadershipDevelopment #FeedbackCulture #PowerAwareLeadership

Most leaders only give feedback when there’s a problem. That’s exactly why your team won’t grow. You spot an issue in January. You bring it up in September. By then? The moment’s gone. The damage is done. And your team doesn’t know how to improve. Feedback isn’t an annual event. It’s a daily opportunity to build trust and drive performance. Start recognizing wins in real time. Here’s how:  1. Positive coaching moments. Praise good work when you see it. Don’t wait for reviews to share wins.  2. Immediate course corrections. Don’t sit on mistakes for months. Address them quickly—and coach for improvement.  3. Build a culture of safety. Ask questions, invite feedback, and make it a two-way street. When people feel safe, they speak up—and improve faster. The result? A team that’s engaged, proactive, and always growing. Great teams aren’t built on annual reviews. They’re built through daily feedback that drives real progress. Are you giving your team what they need to grow?

Leaders: Stop winging feedback. Use frameworks that drive growth. Giving feedback isn’t easy - but winged feedback often leads nowhere. Without structure, your words might confuse, demotivate, or even disengage your team. Here are 4 feedback frameworks that create clarity, build trust, and drive growth (and 1 to avoid): 1) 3Cs: Celebrations, Challenges, Commitments 🏅  → Celebrate what’s working well. → Address challenges with honesty. → End with commitments for improvement. 2) Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI) 💡  → Describe *specific* situations. → Focus on observed behavior. → Explain its impact on team or goals. 3) Radical Candor 🗣️  → Care personally while challenging directly. → Show empathy but stay honest. 4) GROW Model: Goal, Reality, Options, Will ⬆️  → Set goals for feedback. → Discuss current reality. → Explore options for growth. → Commit together on action steps. ❌ 5) DO NOT USE: Feedback Sandwich ❌  → Start with something positive. → Address areas needing growth. → Close with another positive. ‼️ This outdated model tends to backfire as people feel manipulated. Structured feedback isn’t just about improving performance. It builds trust, fosters open communication, and creates an environment for continuous learning. ❓Which framework do you use to give feedback? ♻ Share this post to help your network become top 1% communicators. 📌 Follow me Oliver Aust for more leadership insights.