What If Business-Driven Feedback Was the Standard—Not a Privilege?

Earlier this week, I introduced the intent behind this What If series, starting with women negotiating and advocating for themselves. But negotiation is just one piece of the puzzle. Advocacy doesn’t stop once you’ve secured the role, the promotion, or the opportunity—it extends into how you grow, lead, and drive impact within it. And that growth is often shaped by feedback.

Feedback has the power to accelerate careers, fuel leadership growth, and unlock potential. Early in our careers, both personal and performance-based feedback can be valuable as we navigate how we want to show up in the workplace. Learning workplace dynamics, communication styles, and executive presence helps us establish our professional identity. But as we advance, feedback should evolve, shifting away from perception and toward measurable business impact.

Yet, for many women and diverse professionals, that shift doesn’t always happen. Instead of gaining insights that help them make stronger business decisions, increase profitability, or drive innovation, they’re met with vague, personal critiques like “not being confident enough” or needing to “work on their presence.” Meanwhile, their colleagues receive the strategic guidance that propels them forward.

The Problem: Unhelpful, Subjective Feedback

Research has shown that women and professionals from underrepresented groups are more likely to receive personality-driven feedback rather than performance-based input. Instead of hearing how to improve decision-making, drive impact, or strengthen strategic thinking, they often receive ambiguous comments that center on style rather than substance:

“Your outfit choices can be a bit distracting; a more professional look might help.”

“Try not to be so direct.”

“You come across very polished.”

These statements do little to help someone grow. Worse, they can reinforce harmful stereotypes, create confusion, and limit opportunities for advancement.

The Shift: Business-Driven Feedback That Fuels Growth

High-quality feedback should be specific, actionable, and directly tied to business outcomes. It should answer a fundamental question: How does this person’s work impact the company’s bottom line, strategic goals, and long-term success?

If you’re in an executive role within a publicly traded organization, the stakes are even higher. You need to understand how your work translates to P&L performance, stock price, and shareholder value. Feedback should prepare leaders to operate at this level—not keep them focused on surface-level perceptions.

Instead of vague personality critiques, imagine receiving feedback like:

“To enhance cross-functional collaboration, proactively engage key stakeholders earlier in the decision-making process.”

“Your reports are well-structured; incorporating more competitive analysis could strengthen your recommendations.”

“Your strategic thinking is strong; focus on articulating long-term impacts when presenting to senior leadership to enhance influence and decision-making.”

This type of feedback provides clear, actionable steps that empower professionals to refine their skills, elevate their impact, and advance their careers—while also driving meaningful results for the organization.

What if we Asked for Better Feedback

If the feedback you’re receiving isn’t useful, this could shift the conversation:

1. Be Specific in Your Ask – Instead of a generic “How am I doing?” try, “What’s one thing I could do to increase my impact on this project?”

2. Redirect Subjective Feedback – If someone comments on your confidence, ask, “Can you share an example of a situation where that showed up? What would success look like in that moment?”

3. Tie Feedback to Business Outcomes – Guide the discussion by asking, “How can I improve my contributions to the team’s goals and broader company strategy?”

The Takeaway

Feedback should be a tool for professional growth, not a reflection of bias. By shifting the focus to measurable outcomes and actionable insights, we ensure ALL talent is prepared to compete for roles of greater responsibility—including the C-suite.

What if we made high-quality, business-driven feedback the norm? The answer: a stronger pipeline of ready leaders, more competitive professionals, and better business results.