Feedback and Innovation in the Workplace

If we're serious about elevating work performance, we need to elevate feedback. It's time to shift from the standard one-on-one feedback model to a more inclusive, team-based approach. Traditional feedback, where a manager is the primary source, is increasingly impractical. Managers may not even have visibility into the day-to-day work of individuals or their teams. But who does? The team members themselves. It's the people working alongside us every day who see our efforts, challenges, and successes. They're in a prime position to offer relevant, timely feedback – and we need to leverage this untapped resource of insight. This realization leads us to the concept of 'Co-development.' This approach transforms feedback from a one-way directive into a dynamic, mutual growth process. In Co-development, feedback isn’t just a managerial task; it shifts to become a collective responsibility of peers. Every team member plays a part in elevating the group, sharing insights and skills to help each other thrive.

Feedback culture in corporates is more than just reviews or appraisals. It’s about fostering open, honest, and constructive conversations across all levels of the organization. When feedback is shared regularly, it builds trust, transparency, and mutual respect. Employees feel valued when their opinions are heard, and leaders gain critical insights into team dynamics and areas for growth. A feedback-driven culture encourages development, both on an individual and team level. It helps identify strengths, address weaknesses, and create a continuous loop of improvement. Trust flourishes when employees know their feedback will be taken seriously and acted upon. A healthy feedback environment allows people to voice their ideas, concerns, and suggestions without fear. This openness fosters collaboration, innovation, and stronger relationships between leaders and their teams. Constructive feedback leads to better decision-making, improved problem-solving, and stronger overall performance. A feedback culture also breaks down hierarchical barriers, promoting more open and inclusive communication. Employees are more likely to trust leadership when they know their input is genuinely valued. This trust creates an engaged, motivated workforce, ready to contribute and collaborate effectively. Incorporating feedback into everyday conversations strengthens the foundation of a positive work culture. A company with a strong feedback culture is better equipped to adapt, innovate, and thrive in today’s rapidly changing environment. Feedback isn’t just a tool for improvement; it’s a cornerstone of trust, growth, and collaboration. By embracing a feedback culture, organizations unlock their teams' full potential and drive long-term success.

In a CULTURE of continuous feedback, people aren’t just "allowed" to give feedback; they’re actively encouraged to. It's where feedback isn’t reserved for formal reviews or the occasional meeting; it’s a natural part of daily work. A true CULTURE of continuous feedback means that: ✳️ People share ideas freely, knowing their thoughts are valued. ✳️ Teams regularly check in to discuss what’s going well and where things might need adjustment. ✳️ Leaders and managers seek feedback as much as they give it, showing that everyone’s input matters. ✳️ Constructive criticism is welcomed, and people see it as an opportunity to make things better, not as a judgment on them. If this all sounds very different to your existing culture- here's a few things you can try: ✔️ Set up Regular Check-Ins (Daily huddles, 1:1 coaching sessions and weekly meetings provide the necessary space for people to share their ideas, address challenges, and offer suggestions for improvement. ✔️ Create Feedback Channels: While direct feedback is a sign of a healthy feedback culture, there will always be people who don't like to speak up about how they feel so give people multiple ways to share feedback e.g. through suggestion boxes (physical or digital) or anonymous surveys. ✔️ Lead by Example: Simple- Ask for feedback on your own performance or decisions. If you struggle with this, you need a coach!! ✔️ Encourage Real-Time Feedback: Encourage people to give feedback in the moment rather than waiting for formal reviews or structured meetings. If someone spots an improvement opportunity during a task, they should feel free to speak up right then. ✔️ Recognize and Act on Feedback: Feedback culture only works if people see that their input leads to real change. Yesterday, we talked about recognizing the real experts—the people who do the work. In a feedback culture, this means actively listening to those insights and implementing changes based on what people who carry out the process are seeing and experiencing. They know better than anyone how things really work and where the bottlenecks lie. 💡 This culture isn't built overnight but it's entirely possible to build over time, once leaders are open to their own development and willing to make changes in their own behaviours first! #feedback #feedbackculture #leadership #continuousimprovement #lean #leanmanagement

For many professionals, feedback feels like criticism in disguise - and a lot of it comes down to how it’s given. But what if we flipped the script? What if feedback wasn’t about what’s “wrong,” …but about how we help each other get better? This thought came to me during a mentoring session with a client who was reflecting on the fallout of feedback they’d shared and how badly it was received. And it stuck with me. Imagine a workplace where feedback isn’t feared, it's welcomed. Where it’s not a performance review formality, but an everyday ritual. A feedback culture that’s: → Consistent – Part of the rhythm, not just once a year → Candid – Honest and respectful, without fear → Constructive – Focused on growth, not blame So how do you build that? → Leaders - first ask for feedback before giving it → Make it daily habit, not an annual ritual → Prioritize psychological safety → Equip people in how to give feedback, not just that they should → Recognize & Celebrate when it leads to real change When feedback flows freely, growth becomes a team sport. And that’s when performance, morale, and culture start to thrive together. Have you worked in a team where feedback felt like a strength, not a threat? I’d love to hear how that looked in real life. #LeadershipDevelopment #FeedbackCulture #PsychologicalSafety #WorkplaceGrowth #CoachingMindset #TeamPerformance #ModernLeadership

Feedback culture is the silent revolution no one's talking about. It's not on TED talks. It's not trending on Twitter. It's not in business school textbooks. But it's transforming how the world's best companies operate. Quietly. Deliberately. Completely. I call it the death of the annual review. For decades, we've accepted a bizarre ritual: once a year, your manager judges 12 months of work in a 60-minute meeting that determines your worth, your future, and sometimes your mental health. It's like trying to understand a marriage by watching one dinner conversation. The best companies realized this was insanity. Deloitte scrapped their complex forms and saved 2 million hours annually. Adobe killed annual reviews in 2012 and saw voluntary turnover drop 30%. Accenture eliminated 90% of their performance management process. Microsoft ditched stack ranking. Netflix embraced radical candor. Google made feedback a science. These were more than random experiments. They were survival mechanisms. They knew something had to change. Because the truth is, annual reviews don't build great teams. They build fear, politics, and performance theater. They reward those who game the system, not those who drive value. They measure what's easy to measure, not what actually matters. Real feedback isn't an event. It's a habit. It's the manager who asks "what could I do better?" after every project. It's the peer who says "I noticed something" without waiting for permission. It's the culture where truth is valued more than comfort. At Toyota, factory workers submit 810,000 improvement ideas annually – that's 14 suggestions per person per year. They don't wait for review season. They see a problem on Tuesday, solve it on Wednesday. The companies winning the talent war aren't offering bigger salaries. They're offering better conversations. They've replaced ratings with coaching. Forms with dialogue. Fear with psychological safety. They've made feedback immediate, specific, and actionable. They've turned it from a weapon into a gift. And the results speak volumes. Higher engagement. Lower turnover. Faster innovation. Stronger teams. Because when people aren't afraid of feedback, they're not afraid to take risks. When managers aren't forced to be judges, they can be coaches. When teams trust each other with the truth, they trust each other with everything else. The annual review isn't just outdated. It's organizational malpractice. It's time we stopped pretending that once-a-year feedback serves anyone but HR software companies. It's time we built cultures where growth happens every day, not every December. Because the best feedback isn't delivered in a conference room. It's woven into the fabric of how we work.