0:01
Erin, welcome to unlearning work, where we empower you to redesign your job by rethinking work habits, behaviors and strategies. I'm your host. Erin Merideth, a work behavior enthusiast and leadership strategist, join me as I explore various work related topics and provide practical insights and real life examples. We'll examine the nature of work from the ground up and deliver bite sized episodes with actionable advice twice a month.
0:29
Welcome to unlearning work, the podcast where we challenge outdated work norms and explore new approaches to leadership growth and organizational impact. I'm your host, Erin Merideth, and I'm excited to have you here today. In this episode, we're taking a closer look at feedback, one of the most misunderstood and mishandled processes in the workplace. For too long, feedback has been treated as a top down process, something you endure rather than look forward to. Many organizations rely on rigid annual performance reviews that do more harm than good. Think about it. How often have you seen employees tense up when they hear the words? Can I give you some feedback? It's almost like a reflex. This fear of feedback stifles creativity, trust and collaboration. If we want to break this cycle, we have to unlearn these outdated norms. Today, I'll share strategies grounded in behavioral reinforcement, ways to consistent, consistently reward and recognize the behaviors that foster a healthy, thriving feedback culture.
1:32
Let's start with the first strategy, recognize employees who share ideas or feedback, even if it's not implemented. Let's start by addressing a common problem, the black hole of feedback. Imagine you're an employee who finally musters the courage to share an idea during a meeting. You've spent time thinking it through, you feel vulnerable, putting it out there, and then nothing happens, no acknowledgement, no follow up, just awkward silence over time, this experience conditions employees to keep their ideas to themselves, if speaking up doesn't lead to recognition, or worse, if ideas are dismissed or met with criticism, it sends a strong message, your voice doesn't matter. And when employees feel unheard, they disengage, which can cripple innovation and productivity. As leaders, we have to stop this pattern and its tracks. The solution is simple but powerful. Consistently recognize and reinforce the act of sharing feedback and ideas, even when those ideas aren't implemented immediately.
2:36
Let's look at a workplace scenario. ANNA works in a large organization where suggestions during meetings often disappear without acknowledgement. In a recent strategy meeting, she proposed a new system for improving cross department communication, the meeting moved on without anyone commenting on her idea, leaving her embarrassed and discouraged. ANNA decides she won't share ideas in the future meetings to avoid feeling dismissed.
3:02
Now, let's look at another organization where Malik offers a suggestion during a brainstorming session. His manager says, Malik, that's a creative approach. It doesn't align with our budget right now, but I really like your outside the box thinking. Let's keep this on the radar for future planning. Later, the manager follows up with Malik, thanking him for his input and explaining how the decision was made. Malik feels respected and continues contributing ideas in future discussions. So from these scenarios, what actions can you take? Well, one, you can acknowledge ideas publicly. When someone shares an idea, reinforce the act of speaking up by thanking them in front of the team. For example, thanks for sharing that perspective, Alex, even though we may not implement it now, I appreciate your thinking, and want us to keep it in mind.
3:51
Second, you can create follow up moments. Reach out individually to employees who ideas weren't implemented, explain the reasoning behind the decision and express your gratitude. For example, Hey, Sophia, I really liked your suggestion in the meeting. We decided to go in a different direction this time, but I want you to know your input is valuable, and I'd love to hear more ideas from you in the future. Both of these actions build trust and reinforce that sharing ideas is always worthwhile. So for you, the listener, you want to try this out after your next meeting, follow up with someone who shared an idea, thank them for their input and explain the decision making process if their suggestion wasn't implemented. This transparency will build trust and reinforce the behavior of speaking up.
4:36
Another feedback strategy is celebrating improvements that result from feedback. Another challenge we face at work is feedback often feels like it goes into a void, especially when people don't see visible results. Think about it, how many times have you seen teams put effort into providing thoughtful feedback, only for it to disappear without a trace over time, people stop believing that feedback can lead to change.
5:00
This disconnect between feedback and outcomes undermines trust and demoralizes employees. Without reinforcement, feedback feels pointless and demotivated. On the flip side, when leaders celebrate improvements driven by feedback, they create powerful positive reinforcement. Employees start to see feedback as a tool for progress, rather than criticism. Let's look at two different workplace scenarios to illustrate this. The first project team recently provided feedback about inefficiencies in their task assignment system leadership quietly made adjustments without informing the team. Although productivity improved, no one linked the changes to the feedback. As a result, the team doesn't see how their input shaped the outcome and assumes their feedback wasn't taken seriously. In the second scenario at another company, the operations team shared similar feedback about workflow inefficiencies, leadership, implemented changes and held a town hall to announce, thanks to your feedback, we've streamlined our task assignment system. Since making these adjustments, project completion times have improved by 20% Great job everyone for collaborating on this solution. The recognition here motivates the team to continue providing input on future improvements.
6:16
Well, what action can you take? One you can announce improvements tied to feedback when changes are made based on employee feedback. Highlight the connection. For example, our new customer onboarding process has improved satisfaction scores by 15% that success is directly tied to the feedback we received from you. Thank you for sharing insights.
6:38
To recognize contributors by name, give specific credit to those whose feedback drove the improvement. Example, I want to give a shout out to Ravi and Megan for their feedback on our reporting tools. Your suggestions have helped us cut our data analysis time by 30%
6:53
linking these improvements to feedback reinforces that importance of speaking up and fosters a culture of trust. If you want to try this out, look for recent feedback driven wins within your team. Share the story in a team meeting or through a company wide message, highlighting both the improvement and the people who contributed to it.
7:10
A third strategy we can look at is encouraging regular peer to peer feedback. Another challenge many organizations face is that feedback flows in only one direction, top down, employees expect feedback to come solely from managers, creating a bottleneck when feedback only happens during formal reviews or in a hierarchical structure, it limits opportunities for growth and learning. On top of that, many people are uncomfortable giving feedback to their peers. They worry about damaging relationships or saying the wrong thing. This fear of vulnerability prevents valuable conversations from happening. But here's the truth, some of the most impactful feedback comes from peers, those who work closely together and can offer unique perspectives on day to day performance. So encouraging regular peer feedback builds stronger relationships and fosters collaboration across teams,
8:01
we'll look at two workplace scenarios to illustrate this. In a development team, unresolved communication issues cause last minute project delays because team members don't give each other feedback, tensions grow and collaboration breaks down. Issues that could have been addressed early escalate into larger conflicts in another organization, regular peer feedback is part of the team's culture. During bi weekly meetings, employees take turns recognize recognizing each other's contributions. A team member might say, Ella, I wanted to recognize how you handled the client presentation last week. You are well prepared and adapted to their questions perfectly. One suggestion I have is to include a bit more data up front and featured presentations to strengthen your case,
8:43
these sessions foster mutual respect and continuous learning. So what actions can you take? One you can incorporate peer recognition in meetings. Add a recurring agenda item to your team meetings where employees can give shout outs or praise each to each other's efforts. Example, before we wrap up today, let's take five minutes to share shout outs. Does anyone want to recognize a teammate for their contributions this week? Second, establish structured feedback programs. Set up peer feedback opportunities such as feedback partners or quarterly check ins. Encourage employees to give both praise and constructive feedback in a supportive setting. These practices normalize feedback as part of everyday collaboration. If
9:25
you want to try this out, introduce peer feedback rituals in your team. Start by dedicating five minutes in your next team meeting for shout outs or recognition as your team grows more comfortable, you can implement structured programs like feedback partners or peer check ins. Our fourth strategy is to reward small, consistent efforts over time, we often fall into the trap of only celebrating big wins, but sustainable change is built through small, consistent actions. Employees who regularly ask for feedback, share ideas or act on input, are laying the groundwork for long term success. However, if these small efforts.
10:00
Go unnoticed, people may lose motivation to continue in our two workplace scenarios, Sophia regularly asks for feedback after each project. However, because her efforts aren't publicly recognized, she begins to feel her personal development isn't a priority for the organization.
10:15
In a different team, Sophia, as manager, acknowledges her efforts during a performance check in I've noticed how consistently you seek feedback after each project. That mindset has helped you improve your communication skills and is a great example for others on the team. This recognition motivates Sophia to keep up her efforts. What actions can you take? One acknowledge small wins regularly in everyday conversations. Recognize small but impactful behaviors like asking for feedback or proposing ideas. Example, thank you for seeking feedback after that presentation. Carlos, that's exactly the kind of growth mindset we want to encourage here.
10:52
Two you can highlight long term progress during performance reviews. Connect small, consistent actions to the employee's overall development. For example, over the past six months, your focus on improving through feedback has paid off. I can see a clear improvement on how you handle high pressure situations. Reinforcing these small behaviors helps embed them into the team's culture.
11:13
To try this out in your next round of one on ones, look for small feedback behaviors to recognize even a brief Thank you can reinforce those actions and encourage long term development. Our fifth strategy is to avoid reinforcing negative feedback patterns. There's a tough truth about work, sometimes leaders unintentionally reinforce negative feedback patterns. For example, if you only give feedback when something goes wrong, employees may start to associate feedback with failure, they'll begin to dread feedback conversations and avoid situations where they might be criticized. This fear based approach stifles growth. Instead, leaders need to balance constructive feedback with positive reinforcement, making feedback a source of learning and encouragement in our two workplace scenarios in one organization, employees dread feedback meetings because they only occur after mistakes are made. This fear suppresses risk taking and innovation in another organization, the leader regularly gives both positive and constructive feedback. Employees view feedback as a normal part of development, rather than something they need to fear
12:19
actions you can take balance feedback for every piece of constructive feedback you give, offer at least one piece of positive reinforcement to highlight what's going well, and two you can normalize feedback conversations, hold regular check ins, focus both on accomplishments and areas for improvement. This reduces the stigma around feedback. To try this out. First, audit your feedback habits. Are you offering more corrective feedback than positive reinforcement? Set a goal to recognize positive contributions just as often as you provide constructive input. What is the role of leaders in shaping feedback culture? Well, it's a big one, because at the core of a thriving feedback culture is leadership. Your actions, what you reinforce and recognize, they shape how feedback is perceived in your organization. Ask yourself, What feedback habits are you modeling? Are you promoting openness, transparency and trust? By consistently recognizing contributions, celebrating improvements and encouraging peer feedback, you'll foster an environment where feedback becomes a driver of growth and collaboration.
13:27
Thank you for joining me today on unlearning work, we explored how leaders can use behavioral reinforcement to build a thriving feedback culture. Remember small, consistent actions lead to lasting change. Recognize and reward the feedback behaviors you want to see, and you'll create an environment where people are motivated to grow and collaborate. If you found this episode helpful, please share it with your team or Network. Don't forget to subscribe for more insights on leadership, organizational design and behavioral change. Until next time, keep learning, keep leading and keep growing. You
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
