The Feedback Conversation Calculator
More Than Just One-Way
In a Feedback Fit team, there’s a shared understanding and expectation: feedback conversations happen in every direction. These conversations fuel clarity, connection, and growth. And they’re built on a foundation of Warm-Up Conversations—where expectations are clear and psychological safety is strong.
Let’s Talk Numbers
Now, I’m not a mathematician, (I failed maths at Uni!). For the first time, a formula got me genuinely excited.
N(N-1)/2
Where N is the number of people on your team. This simple equation reveals the number of potential feedback relationships—each one a chance to connect, align, and grow.
Let's look at an example of a small team
Chris leads a team of 5 people. That makes N = 6 (including Chris).
6(6-1)/2 = 15
That’s 15 potential feedback relationships where conversations could happen in any direction.
Now imagine just one useful feedback conversation per relationship, per week:
15 x 52 = 780 opportunities a year.
That’s 780 moments to drive clarity, performance, and growth.
Scaling Up: A Bigger Team, Bigger Impact
Now let’s nerd out for a moment.
Maria manages a team of 24 (plus herself, N = 25)
25(25-1)/2 = 300 potential feedback relationships.
300 feedback relationships x 52 weeks = 15,600 opportunities a year.
Fifteen thousand, six hundred.
That’s either 15,600 chances for trust, alignment and development—or 15,600 missed opportunities that could lead to tension and underperformance. The choice lies in whether your team is skilled in feedback conversations.
Your Turn
How many potential feedback conversations could occur every year in your team? Run the numbers. Then ask yourself:
Are we Feedback Fit enough to make every one of those conversations count?
Want to build that confidence in your leadership approach?
Explore how these Feedback Fitness programs can help:
