As we’ve been busy planning for FY 25-26 over the past few weeks, one thing has stood out as a major focus for us here at PeopleUnboxed: creating a genuine feedback culture.
In our latest planning session (over a lot of pick’n’mix) the whole team agreed that feedback will be both a personal and team focus for us this year. And I’m thrilled about it!
Feedback is the foundation of growth, for both us as individuals and as a business. After years of helping organisations develop their leadership and learning strategies, we know that getting feedback right is one of those elusive things that’s hard to truly master.
Building a genuinely positive culture where feedback is freely given and received, and where it actually helps people grow, isn’t easy. But, as always, we’re up for the challenge
Why is feedback so hard to get right?
On paper, giving and receiving feedback sounds straightforward, yet so many organisations struggle to embed a healthy feedback culture.
And it often comes down to us as individuals.
Most of us want feedback. We genuinely want to learn, grow and improve. But when that feedback is developmental, it can easily feel like criticism… even when it’s coming from a place of support.
And let’s be honest, receiving feedback is tricky. I’m not great at accepting compliments, I have a habit of deflecting them when I should probably just listen and take in how I’ve helped someone. And when it’s developmental feedback? I’ll admit, I tend to retreat inwards and mull it over, rather than openly listening to how I can improve in the future. Even when I know it’s coming from a good place, it can still sting a bit!
And giving feedback? That can feel just as awkward as receiving it. I know I find it hard sometimes, I always want to help people blossom and grow, but I never want to upset anyone. Balancing honesty with kindness isn’t always easy!
So, what’s missing? The key ingredient is Psychological Safety.
Without it, even well-intentioned feedback can feel threatening or uncomfortable. When people feel truly safe to give and receive feedback, it shifts to feeling like support and that’s when real growth happens.
Four pillars of Psychological Safety
This isn’t just about feeling comfortable, it’s about creating an environment where everyone feels safe to contribute, learn, and challenge each other without fear of judgement. There are four key areas you need to build safety in:
Inclusion
Feeling accepted for who you are. When people feel valued and respected for their individual differences, they are more open to receiving developmental feedback because it’s seen as a way to improve – not as personal criticism.
Learner
Feeling safe to try new things, make mistakes and grow. Feedback becomes a natural part of the learning process when people know they’ll be supported and coached along the way.
Contributor
Feeling comfortable putting your ideas forward and listening to the ideas and feedback of others. Knowing your contributions are valued makes feedback feel less like a judgement and more like an opportunity to refine and improve.
Challenger
Feeling confident to challenge the status quo, engage in healthy debate and question each other, all while knowing that differences of opinion will be respected.
To create a true feedback culture, psychological safety needs to be embedded at every one of these levels.
We’ve actually written a white paper on how to create psychological safety, if you’re looking to strengthen this in your organisation, you can download it here.
Living our values through feedback
At PeopleUnboxed, we also lean on our values to help shape how we approach feedback:
Inclusion
We value each other’s strengths and differences. When feedback is framed as a way to help someone play to their strengths, it feels like support not criticism. That’s why we’ve adopted the dolphin as our symbol of inclusion, representing our respect for each individual’s true self.
Courage
It takes bravery to give and receive feedback. We encourage each other to be honest and open, even when it feels uncomfortable. Our giraffe represents sticking your neck out for what’s right.
Innovation
Challenging each other is how we grow and get better. Feedback fuels innovation because it helps us see what’s working and what could be improved. Of course a unicorn is our symbol, for challenging the norm and pushing boundaries.
Unity
We’ve got each other’s backs. Feedback is easier to give and receive when you know that it’s coming from a place of genuine support and trust. And representing our symbol for unity, is the elephant, who always supports their pack.
How we’re bringing feedback to life
We’ve been working hard to build psychological safety for years, and now we’re ready to take our feedback culture to the next level. Here’s how we’re making it happen:
1. Focusing on the 5:1 ratio
Research shows that for feedback to have a positive impact, we need to balance five motivational comments for every piece of developmental feedback. Why? Because our brains are wired to focus on the negative, so that balance helps to keep feedback positive rather than demoralising.
We’re embedding this into our culture by celebrating wins in team meetings, group chats and 1-to-1s.
- I recently had a HIG with a team member and followed this exact method. Although, to be honest, I struggled to keep it to just five motivational points because I had such a long list! (Proof of just how brilliant the team is).
2. Embedding feedback into 1-to-1s
We’re making feedback a core part of our regular HIG (How’s It Going) chats, using the 5:1 ratio to keep conversations balanced and positive.
It’s not about ticking boxes, it’s about making feedback a natural part of how we support each other.
- In my own 1-to-1s, I’ve been making a conscious effort to weave feedback into conversations naturally, not just during formal reviews but as part of everyday chats. It’s amazing how much more comfortable these conversations become when they’re regular and balanced.
3. Feedback in performance reviews
These reviews can often feel daunting, but by making feedback an ongoing conversation rather than a one-off event, we’re helping everyone feel more comfortable giving and receiving it.
We’re also considering adding in 360-degree feedback in our personal development plans (PDPs).
- I’ve started working on how to make performance reviews feel less formal and more supportive. One of the things I’ve found helpful is setting a relaxed tone right from the start, maybe over a walk rather than a formal boardroom setting, it really helps shift the focus from ‘judgement’ to ‘growth.’
4. Learning from each other
Regardless of position or hierarchy, we know that we can all learn from each other. Shadowing creates opportunities to share strengths, gain new perspectives and give real-time feedback in a safe and supportive way.
- I remember co-facilitating and observing a session with my colleague Jo, and it was such a learning experience for me. Seeing how she built rapport with the learners and used a coaching, questioning style gave me a fresh perspective and reminded me how much we all have to learn from each other.
We are also exploring having our own internal training sessions on how to deliver and receive feedback. Most importantly to learn how our peers like to receive feedback (time, location, mindset and communication are all key in getting feedback right) to improve team communication and collaboration.
5. Collaboration across teams
We’re encouraging more cross-team collaboration, working with different people on different projects to help us step outside our comfort zones and learn from each other.
Feedback flows more naturally when we’re actively working in partnership and problem-solving together.
- I’ve been working more closely with our digital team to improve my design skills recently, and let’s just say it’s been a humbling experience! It’s shown me how valuable it is to lean on each other’s strengths and not be afraid to ask for help.
6. Being fallible (and owning it)
No one has all the answers… and that’s OK. (I certainly don’t!)
We’re encouraging everyone to be comfortable admitting when they don’t know something, asking for help and actively seeking feedback from colleagues, but also our clients and partners too.
- There are so many moments to choose from where I’ve had to say, ‘I don’t know the answer to that, what do you think?’ And honestly, the insight and ideas that have come from those moments have been invaluable. For me these range from business decisions where team input shapes the direction we choose, to learners asking questions in sessions, whereby throwing it out to the group rather than giving my answer, opens up rich discussion. Sometimes admitting you don’t have all the answers is the most powerful thing you can do.
7. Using AID
We’re upskilling ourselves to feel more comfortable giving feedback using the AID model (Action, Impact, Do). A simple but powerful approach that makes giving feedback clear and easy to follow.
- Action – What specifically did the person do?
- Impact – What was the effect of that action?
- Do – What could they do differently next time (or continue doing if it’s working)?
This structure helps keep feedback clear, practical and focused on growth, rather than personal judgement.
- Having recently used this in a performance review conversation, the clear structure makes it so much easier to give specific, meaningful feedback without feeling like you’re tiptoeing around the point. For me in particular, it takes the ‘sting’ out of giving developmental feedback and opens up a two-way conversation for what could be done differently.
What do you think?
Creating a genuine feedback culture isn’t easy, but at PeopleUnboxed we’re all committed to making it happen.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on how you bring feedback into your own culture. Are you working on embedding a feedback culture in your organisation too? Let’s swap ideas and learn from each other!
After all, feedback isn’t just about what’s said… it’s about how we listen, reflect and grow together.
