Did you know?: On average, 46% of all employees indicate a desire for more feedback, but that figure increases to 69% for employees receiving feedback 1x per year or less!
And with regular feedback comes 2x engagement and 3x retention.
This is Chris from Level Up as a Leader. This week’s newsletter extends on Give Feedback Like a Pro and other recent topics focusing on feedback.
Building a culture of feedback requires more than annual performance reviews. Providing in-depth feedback once per year is simply not enough.
And equally important, if you want to retain top talent, then you need to make it a cornerstone of your leadership.
Let’s look at creating a culture of feedback.
Immediate Action Points to Start with Feedback
- Increase Opportunities for Feedback: Integrate feedback into 1:1s, team meetings, and even informal chats.
- Ask for Feedback: Seek input from the team with such questions as “What is something I could do better?” or “How can I support you?” These and other questions signal how much you value a feedback culture.
- Ensure Feedback is Meaningful: Any feedback you give should be specific, clear, and actionable. It’s about showing the impact of individual actions on broader team goals.
Pro point!: Feedback consists of praise and recognition.
Recognition celebrates successes, as well as reinforces the behaviors we most value. It improves motivation too because the people in your team feel seen, heard, and valued.
Long-term Actions for a Feedback Culture
Building a feedback-rich culture requires intention and strategy. Here’s what to do over the long term.
- Nurture a Growth Mindset: Encourage continuous learning and see feedback as a tool for improvement. See it as feedforward for growth!
- Provide Feedback Training: Feedback should flow up, down, and around. Equip people with the skills to give and receive feedback effectively. Demonstrate and expect supportive communication.
- Set Clear Expectations and Routines: Make feedback a regular and expected part of your operations. And be sure to follow up with feedback as well, showing its importance for future successes.
- Regularly Iterate the Reasons: The more information you provide, the greater the clarity. But you also need to repeat information, as not everything is remembered or taken on board right away.
- Introducing 360° Feedback: This demonstrates that you expect feedback to flow both up and down in the hierarchy.
- Nurture Psychological Safety: If people don’t feel comfortable sharing ideas, then a feedback culture isn’t possible.
Wrapping Up
Remember: Feedback isn’t about pointing out any and every detail that needs improvement. It’s carefully crafted and targeted messaging for better performance, morale, and commitment among the team.
Equally important, meaningful feedback needs to come more than once per year. Insufficient feedback results in anemic growth, with your team focused only on immediate tasks rather than long-term growth and success.
Until next week!