Why You Should Build a Culture of Feedback

You have probably heard “Feedback is a gift,” but let’s be honest… sometimes it doesn’t feel that way.

Feedback shouldn’t be just a formality during a performance review. It’s a critical tool for growth, innovation, and better decision-making, and it needs to be given and received regularly.? Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of training on how to deliver meaningful and honest feedback, and because of this, everyone suffers.

The best teams are the ones that move fast, innovate, and make the best decisions. If you want to be one of these teams, create a culture of feedback where Radical Candor (more on this) is the norm, not the exception.

Let’s get into why you should champion feedback as an individual contributor or a leader, and how to make sure it spreads throughout your org.

No Feedback, No Innovation

Want to kill innovation? Stop giving feedback.

Innovation doesn’t come from politeness and protecting egos. It comes from an iterative process, where ideas are challenged and refined over time.

When teams fear feedback, they:

• Avoid trying new things because experimentation isn’t encouraged.
• Miss opportunities for growth because the status quo is “good enough”.
• Get stuck in groupthink or echo chambers, afraid to challenge each other’s ideas.

What Innovation-Driven Feedback Looks Like:

• Encouraging experimentation and celebrating lessons learned from failure.
• Making it safe to challenge ideas, knowing that critique is about the work, not the person.
• Creating a loop of build → test → seek feedback → refine.

Without feedback, innovation dies. People won’t grow because they aren’t being challenged, and they’ll eventually leave your organization for a place that enables growth.

Radical Candor: The Compassionate Way to Help People Grow

If you’re not familiar with Radical Candor, it’s a framework created by Kim Scott that directs leaders to “care personally and challenge directly.”

Too often, leaders and colleagues avoid giving feedback because they don’t want to seem harsh or they may just say something “nice” (note the quotes) because they don’t want to hurt their feelings. Kim calls this Ruinous Empathy. It’s not “nice” - think of somebody having gum in their hair, but you didn’t tell them in fear of embarrassing them. Now they will go on to face other people with gum in their hair. Turns out, you didn’t save them from embarrassment at all.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have the jerk that points, laughs, and says “hey look everyone, Zack has gum in his hair” (or beard, since I’m bald). It is challenging directly, but it’s not caring personally at all. Kim would call this Obnoxious Aggression - it’s the person who just seems like they’re trying to be hurtful, without being constructive.

The last bad one that Kim talks about is Manipulative Insincerity, or more simply, the backstabber. They don’t challenge directly or care personally. This is the person who tells you that you have been doing a good job, but then goes and complains about your work to your boss. Yuck.

Chances are, I hope, you don’t want to be any of the above. So what is the solution? Radical Candor.

What Radical Candor Looks Like in Action:

• Instead of avoiding a tough conversation, approach it with compassion and directness.
• Instead of “You came off really nervous in that presentation.” → Try “I can tell you cared a lot about that presentation. You did a great job with the content, but you seemed a little nervous. Remember to breathe and take a pause if you feel you are getting overwhelmed. If you want to do a dry run before the meeting next time, I’d be happy to be your audience.”

Honest feedback truly can be a gift when it’s wrapped properly and delivered with care. Take Kim’s advice and you’ll be able to establish trust and help others grow compassionately.

Meaningful Feedback = Better Decision Making

Good organizations thrive on evidence-based decisions, yet too many teams make critical decisions in an echo chamber for fear of backlash or scrutiny. It can be hard to be courageous and speak against consensus, but I promise, it’s worth it. So long as the feedback is delivered with Radical Candor and supported by data, you are helping the organization by speaking up.

Why Good Feedback Drives Better Decisions:

• It corrects assumptions that might be steering decisions in the wrong direction.
• It highlights gaps or blind spots in data, surfacing insights that may have overlooked.
• It brings in diverse perspectives, making decisions stronger and more well-rounded.

Supply Chain Dashboard Example:

• Imagine you build a dashboard that measures stock outs when they occur within your supply chain, but you didn’t add visuals for unfulfilled orders or lead times.
• If your buyers place orders based only on this information, they could overcorrect, increasing holding/rush costs, or creating bullwhip effects.
• Your manager notices this and says “I really like the layout of this dashboard and the filters/slicers for vendors and distribution centers. It’s easy to use and clean. To make it most effective, can we add lead time and unfulfilled orders in so we can help buyers prevent overcorrections?”
• Without this feedback, stakeholders could make poor decisions based on your data, and lead to the dashboard not being used at all which is a waste of your resources, and limits your growth.

When feedback loops are strong, decision-making improves at every level.

Feedback Builds Trust & Collaboration

The best teams don’t just work together, they push each other to improve. This can only be done when there is trust.

When feedback flows openly, teams develop:

• Stronger relationships based on trust.
• Higher performance because people aren’t afraid to improve.
• Better collaboration because people feel heard and valued.

What happens when teams don’t embrace feedback:

• Employees stay silent, afraid to challenge each other.
• Team members resent leaders who never provide growth opportunities.
• Organizations create a toxic culture where people leave instead of improving.

What You Can Do Today:

• Instead of waiting for feedback, ask for it proactively.
• When receiving feedback, don’t get defensive. Treat it as valuable insight.
• Assume positive intent, and use feedback as a tool for growth.
• Start normalizing regular, informal feedback (not just in performance reviews).
• Celebrate the wins! Recognition is also a form of feedback.
• Ask your teammates “What’s one thing I could do better?” and genuinely listen.

When people feel safe to give and receive feedback, they become more engaged, collaborative, and motivated.

Takeaways

Delivering feedback is difficult. However, if you do it with intention and compassion, you can help everyone in your organization grow and build a culture of feedback that drives innovation.

Remember:

• Without feedback, innovation and growth stall.
• Radical Candor is the kindest thing you can do, because real growth requires honesty.
• The best decisions come from input, iteration, and open dialogue.
• Feedback exposes blind spots, so you can fix them before they become problems.
• Trust, collaboration, and high performance thrive in feedback-rich environments.

I want to hear from you!

What’s the best piece of feedback you’ve ever received? What’s one thing you wish more teams understood about feedback?