Creating a Feedback Culture in Consulting Firms

“We have a feedback culture.”   That’s what the slide says in your onboarding deck.  But here’s what the team actually feels: → “If I speak up, I’ll be labeled ‘difficult.’” → “If I share the real issue, I’ll lose trust.” → “If I name what’s broken, I’ll be the problem.” That’s not feedback. That’s fear. And fear doesn’t build trust. It builds silence. Here’s how to start changing that 👇 1️⃣ Ask questions they’re scared to answer. Try: “What’s one thing we’re not talking about that we should be?” 2️⃣ Respond to feedback like it’s a gift especially when it stings. If you defend, they won’t bring it again. 3️⃣ Give feedback in real time, not once a year. Waiting for performance reviews = waiting too long. 4️⃣ Model emotional regulation. Your tone and energy determine if the room opens up or shuts down. 5️⃣ Normalize disagreement. If your team always agrees with you, they probably don’t feel safe enough to be honest. 6️⃣ Show them how to speak up then protect them when they do. Psychological safety isn’t just permission. It’s protection. 7️⃣ Do your own work. Your self-awareness sets the ceiling for theirs. No inner work = no outer trust. You don’t earn trust through words. You earn it through nervous systems. Because if people can’t breathe around you, they won’t be honest with you. Want to lead a team where truth feels safe? Start with how you listen. - ♻️ Repost to help leaders prioritize psychological safety 🔔 Follow me Julia Laszlo for radically honest leadership talk

I regularly work with leadership teams to help them be more effective with their team dynamics and/or culture. One topic that comes up frequently? Nearly every team I work with wants to be great at giving and receiving feedback. Here’s what I notice about teams that have great feedback cultures: When something goes wrong, they don’t have side conversations. Many times, we get in the habit of venting to one of our peers about something challenging going on within the team. Why is this harmful to team dynamics? When we don’t openly talk about challenges with the whole team, it creates invisible barriers for others on the team. If we don’t tell someone we’re frustrated about something, we don’t give them the opportunity to make a needed change. We vent to a peer, feel slightly better, then let it go. We don’t share it, so nothing changes. Inevitably, the pattern returns and we get frustrated again. We go back to venting. We seemingly let it go. But it builds our frustrations and deteriorates trust. Rinse and repeat this vicious cycle. Now that trust is low, we have a hard time opening any feedback. We build walls and the team starts to operate with less efficiency, transparency, and information. So how do we break this cycle? The healthiest and most effective teams have built-in places for open feedback. They regularly talk about challenges. They know that talking about challenges, even when it’s hard, builds trust in the long run instead of breaking it. Instead of going to people within the team to vent, they openly talk about the challenges with the whole team. They hold each other accountable to not having side conversations or meetings-after-the-meeting. Here are three ways to build in regular, safe spaces for feedback into your team operations: 1️⃣ Build in questions to your 1-on-1s to ask things like: “What is one thing I could be doing differently to support you right now?” 2️⃣ Put retro conversations into your team meetings. Regularly ask the team - “What should we be starting, stopping, or continuing right now?” (Google retroactive meeting templates to get more ideas on questions you can ask!) 3️⃣ Instead of focusing on how to GIVE feedback to people as a leader, focus on how you RECEIVE feedback. Do a leadership skill gap analysis. Write down: When someone shares something challenging with you, how do you currently react to feedback? Then write down: How do you want to react when someone gives you feedback? Where’s the gap and what’s one step you could take toward closing that gap? What do you think? What do you think the best teams do to create great feedback cultures?

In your 1:1s, things sound fine. Skip-level conversations are polite but rarely go deep. Yet elsewhere, you’re catching whispers of frustration, especially about how your communication lands. It’s hard to improve without clear, honest feedback. But when you're in a position of power, feedback naturally becomes filtered. Not because your team doesn’t care, but because speaking candidly can feel risky. Protecting themselves often feels safer than helping you grow. So how do you create a culture where feedback flows freely? Start by making it safe, not personal. Consider anonymous surveys that ask specific, behavior-based questions.  Engage a coach to facilitate confidential 360s. Create accountability - Invite mentors, advisors to surface insights you might be missing. And when feedback does arrive, treat it like the gift it is. Acknowledge it with appreciation, not defensiveness. Act on it visibly. Let your team see that hard truths lead to healthy change, not hidden consequences. The feedback you most need is often the feedback you’re least likely to receive, unless you actively design systems that make it safe to share.

Here's how I'd start if I wanted to build a culture of feedback - 🔖 Define the program. Get in the weeds about what "culture of feedback" means for the organization. Consider how you'll educate people on giving great feedback, how and when to solicit it, and who owns and has access to the data. 💖 Clarify company values and operational expectations. Sure, you may value "grit" or whatever, but what does that mean, or importantly not mean, in practice? Make the implicit explicit every chance you get. 🎯 A single, transparent goal for everyone. This could be directly related to the company, or something more personal to the professional. When you know someone's goals, you can give better feedback toward them. 🤖 Automated feedback solicitation in native tools. If your team is Slack-centric, exchange and store feedback there! If you live in Notion, go there. With so many options for easy and automated workflows, you can build your perfect tool. 💼 It's the CEO's initiative. People Ops builds it and keeps it working, the CEO announces it and treats it as their own. Bonus: have the CEO share their feedback publicly. This is a way to build trust and show vulnerability. 💡 Build a compensation philosophy that doesn't use performance as an input. What would happed if we shared feedback and there were no compensation strings attached? My bet is it would be a lot more genuine. Your turn! What would you add? Keep crushin' it, y'all! 🩷

What's the "F" word that makes most people groan (at least on the inside) when they hear it? FEEDBACK Did you roll your eyes when you read that word? For many, it's a topic that we don't fully understand nor are we good it. Feedback often reserved for when something didn't go quite right. But what if we created a culture of feedback, one where proactive, forward-looking exchanges happens daily? The rare and uncomfortable would become expected and less awkward. What might that look like? McKinsey & Co. embarked on a pilot to do just that. They created a "Receive to Grow" weekly challenge, where a new question was sent to the team to use and practice each week. The exercise became something that everyone did (not reserved for a top-down approach). I love this initiative as it normalizes feedback. It becomes something expected and celebrated. BTW, this process is applicable outside of the workplace too! Think about how relevant and wonderful it would be for your partner or friend to ask you what they could do to be more supportive. Or perhaps they ask for suggestions on how to improve the way they communicate. That's a #gamechanger for relationships. What are your suggestions for feedback questions that could become a part of a weekly or monthly challenge for your home or workplace? You can read more of the McKinsey & Co. pilot here: https://lnkd.in/eb6e3XRZ

Want to build trust & transparency in your team? Start with 360-degree feedback: At work, nothing matters more than trust & honesty. 360-degree feedback is a (fantastic) way to do this. I’ve seen it: -Boost performance -Increase collaboration -Improve team dynamics -Create a happy work culture 360-degree feedback lets everyone share their thoughts. It makes employees feel important & brings teams closer together. Here’s a step-by-step blueprint to start using 360-degree feedback: 1. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 What do you want to achieve? Better Communication? -360-degree feedback helps employees talk about hard topics. -This increases happiness & reduces the chances of exit. Find Skill Gaps? -When you locate skill gaps you can help employees improve at their jobs. -Getting feedback helps you locate missing skills. Boost Morale? -Employees are happier & more engaged when they see changes from THEIR feedback. 2. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 Pick a feedback tool that’s easy to use! Choose tools that are simple & match your needs. Options include: - Interviews - Focus groups - Online surveys Make sure the tools cover what you want to assess & are reliable. 3. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 Teach your team how to give (& receive) feedback. -This includes learning how to give & receive feedback the right way. -You should stress honesty & respect via feedback to build trust. -Training helps ensure feedback is useful. 4. 𝗘𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘆 Make the process anonymous to get honest feedback. - Find what works best for your team. - Anonymity fosters (honest) feedback without fear of trouble. - Anonymity encourages honesty, but being open can build trust. 5. 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 & 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 Get feedback from different sources & look for patterns. -Gather feedback from coworkers, team members, & bosses for a complete picture. Looking at feedback helps find patterns & areas to improve. 6. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 Share feedback in a way that helps. -Highlight both strengths & areas to improve so employees understand their performance completely. -Give feedback that helps people grow, don't point out mistakes. -Encourage improvement. 7. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗨𝗽 Have a plan to follow up on the feedback. -Regular follow-ups show your company cares about feedback (this builds trust & engagement). -Create & track plans based on feedback to ensure it leads to (real) improvements. 𝗧𝗟𝗗𝗥 360-degree feedback builds trust & honesty. Follow these steps: 1. Set clear goals 2. Choose the right tools 3. Train your team 4. Ensure anonymity 5. Collect & analyze feedback 6. Provide helpful feedback 7. Follow up Are you ready to use 360-degree feedback to build trust & honesty?

This Week’s #LeadingOutLoud: If You Want a Feedback Culture, CARE How You Receive It Saying you value feedback isn’t enough. The extent to which people will give you feedback is directly related to how you receive it when it’s offered. If you get defensive, go quiet, or explain it away—even subtly—you’re not just ending that moment. You’re shaping whether feedback ever shows up again. That’s why building a feedback culture starts with how you listen when it’s your turn. Here’s a simple way to lead by example: Introducing the CARE Model for receiving feedback. C — Check In (with your body and mind) - Show you’re present by maintaining eye contact - Listen actively - Ask clarifying questions—not challenges, justifications, or reasons. - Summarize what you heard A — Acknowledge with Gratitude - Even if the feedback surprises you, say: “Thank you. Let me reflect on that.” - Why? Because arguing—even gently—sends the message to the perosn offering the feedback that it isn't safe to do so. R — Reflect, Then Respond (avoid reacting) - Don’t rush to a conclusion. - Sit with it - Ask: Is there truth here? A pattern? - Give yourself time to respond with intention—not out of reaction E — Engage with Intention - Act on what’s helpful. - Close the loop with the person who offered the feedback—let them know how it was useful Because feedback isn’t just about performance. It’s about trust, safety, and the kind of leader you’re becoming. So this week, ask yourself: 💥 Am I receiving feedback in a way that invites more of it—or shuts it down? 💥 What am I teaching my team about whether it’s safe to be honest with me?

Everytime I talk to a team looking to get better at feedback - the first place everyone wants training is the mechanics of giving feedback. It’s like we imagine if we can be perfect at giving it, then we’ll magically create a culture of it. It is my experience that you have to create the emotional bandwidth, imagination, and motivation for feedback before you create the skills for doing it right. I generally start by helping people see the contradictions in their desire and relationship to feedback. Their own personal reactions to it. Then you train how to recieve feedback. An appetite to recieve will always go way further than the ability to give. An appetite to receive across your team will relieve the pressure of having to give feedback exactly right. So the next time you or your team want to develop a feedback culture. Find people to train you who get that. I watch so many places waste money on trainings that focus on mechanics and do nothing to change the dynamics of a team.

"You're doing great!" "Keep it up!" 👍 Is this the kind of vague feedback you're used to giving... or receiving? 🤔 72% of employees believe their performance would improve with corrective feedback. Yet, many of us struggle to provide it effectively. A decade ago, I went through my first 360-degree assessment. The unexpected outcome? It changed how I give feedback. Here's what I learned: 🔶 Specificity is key: Vague praise or criticism doesn't drive growth. I now focus on concrete examples and actionable insights. 🔶 Balance matters: The assessment showed me the power of coupling constructive feedback with genuine positive reinforcement. 🔶 Continuous feedback beats annual reviews: Regular check-ins foster ongoing improvement and prevent surprise criticisms. 🔶 Self-awareness enhances empathy: Understanding my blind spots made me more considerate when delivering tough feedback. 🔶 Feedback is a two-way street: I learned to ask for specific feedback as often as I give it, creating a culture of open communication. The process taught me that to grow others, I needed to grow myself first. 🌱 By improving my feedback skills, I've seen changes in team performance. What's your biggest challenge in giving or receiving feedback? P.S. A 360 assessment provides anonymous feedback from colleagues at all levels. It's not just about how others see you – it's about becoming a better leader for your team.

Documentation helps—but it doesn’t prevent workplace conflict. So what does? Building a feedback culture is essential to reduce workplace conflict. As an employment lawyer and CEO, I’ve consistently observed what's really happening in most workplace conflicts: They rarely involve "bad people" with malicious intent. Most often, they stem from well-intentioned individuals with different expectations of what "good" looks like. Without early feedback and correction, these misalignments fester until they become formal complaints. Traditional harassment training focuses on legal compliance and documentation. But it skips the most crucial part—teaching people how to actually give and receive feedback before issues escalate. Here's how to build a true feedback culture: • Establish psychological safety by having leaders model vulnerability and openly welcome feedback themselves. • Use a shared language for behavior—at Emtrain, our Workplace Color Spectrum helps teams objectively discuss actions without making it personal. • Focus feedback on behaviors, not people, e.g., "When you spoke over me in today's meeting, I felt like my ideas weren't heard," rather than "You're disrespectful." • Deliver immediate, two-way feedback instead of waiting until annual reviews when issues have escalated. • Equip managers with clear language, concrete examples, and practice scenarios to handle difficult conversations effectively. • Make documentation constructive, using it not only for legal protection but as a tool to support growth conversations. The most successful organizations I've worked with implement feedback mechanisms at all levels—from peer-to-peer to leadership. They create environments where small course corrections happen daily, preventing the six-figure investigations that stem from unaddressed issues. When feedback becomes part of your culture's DNA rather than an awkward annual event, workplace conflicts decrease dramatically. This is the missing link between "document everything" and genuinely healthy workplaces. I'd be interested to hear about feedback mechanisms that have been effective in your organization.