Have you ever received feedback from Linda? She offers feedback the way she likes to receive it. She makes it all about her. She believes feedback is character-building. Maybe you have received feedback from Linda, maybe you have offered feedback like Linda. Don’t be like Linda!
The real leadership challenge lies in striking a balance between offering honest, timely feedback and maintaining a culture where people feel safe enough to listen, reflect, and respond. That balance becomes even more important when the feedback is evaluative or highlights a performance concern.
Harvard’s Professor Amy Edmondson, a global authority on psychological safety, reminds us that:
“Offering and receiving feedback happens best in a psychologically safe environment.”
That doesn’t mean avoiding feedback to protect people’s feelings. It means learning to offer feedback in ways that reduce defensiveness and promote growth, especially when someone is not meeting expectations.
Organisational psychologist Dr Libby Brook adds:
“Psychological health and safety is really about reducing the risk to people’s psychological health and creating an environment where people feel healthy and able to work to their best... I think there’s a fear about hurting people, which may be exacerbated by a fear of the feedback conversation causing psychological injury.”
That fear is real—and common among leaders I coach.
However, the cost of not offering feedback is higher. When people don’t hear how they’re going, they miss the opportunity to grow. And teams miss the chance to perform at their best.
Tip:
👉 The future of feedback will involve an increased focus on offering feedback in a psychologically safe manner.
If you want to support building a culture where people feel safe, supported, and stretched, let’s work together.
Explore these offerings designed to help you and your team become Feedback Fit:
📅 Let’s find a time to discuss how we can work together – Book a time with me.