Look at my Shoes

Once, while washing my hands in the men's loo at work (that's British for toilet or restroom if you are from the States), I had the following encounter. I was young and just starting out in my career. A senior colleague walked in, someone recently promoted and began combing their hair—presumably for an important meeting. I congratulated them, then, making small talk and knowing that some senior managers enjoy giving advice, I asked if they had any wisdom to share

The conversation went like this:

Me: So, do you have any advice for someone just beginning in the industry?

Them: Good question! Look at my shoes—what do you see?

Me: [glances down] Uh… shoes?

Them: Notice I wear slip-ons. No laces.

Me: OK…

Them: Laces can come undone and look sloppy. It’s the little details that count.

With that, they gave themselves a final approving look in the mirror, nodded in satisfaction, and walked off confidently to their meeting. I was left both amused and bemused—before that moment, I didn’t think people like this existed outside of a Jilly Cooper novel. But they do!

Reflecting on that encounter, it made me think...

In the life sciences industry, we’re trained from the outset to believe that feedback and advice are essential to personal, team, and business success. We learn to give and receive constructive feedback and are encouraged to act on it. So, what could be wrong with that? As it turns out, quite a bit—because truly valuable feedback and advice are surprisingly rare

On the positive side, effective feedback offers substantial benefits for personal and leadership development. So why is the evidence around it so mixed?

Firstly, feedback is riddled with bias. Studies show that feedback can be skewed by personal relationships, cultural influences, and workplace politics, which compromises its reliability. For example, peer ratings often reflect popularity rather than true performance. The process can also be corrupted by individual biases. If a manager is fair, objective, and perhaps even likes you, the feedback is often positive and useful. But if they lack these qualities, feedback can be indifferent or negative. Rarely is there any objective quality control in these biannual feedback rituals. We’ve all seen “poor performers” subsequently thrive under a good manager, which often points to the real source of the performance issues

Secondly, feedback processes often harm engagement and morale. Poorly executed systems—such as those lacking follow-up or relying on anonymous, overly critical comments—can backfire, leading to frustration, defensiveness, or lower morale

Where’s the performance improvement? The evidence here is also mixed. In some cases, feedback from diverse sources leads to measurable improvements, especially when combined with coaching and follow-up. But feedback alone rarely drives better performance if employees aren’t motivated or lack the resources and organisational support needed to implement changes

Lastly, there’s the issue of spontaneity. Feedback often becomes a burdensome administrative process. Mid-year and year-end reviews, meant to foster growth, frequently feel rushed and formulaic, resulting in variable feedback quality which has limited utility

In the end, experiencing the benefits of a feedback culture requires genuine effort and commitment and not just a pair of slip on shoes!