Implementing Iterative Feedback Sessions

Stop guessing what your boss/employee is thinking 💭  If there's something that makes my work and personal life 10X better, it's having feedback sessions.   I have them religiously with my managers, mentors, direct reports, even with my partner (I like to think we survived 2 years of LDR because of this 😂)    They help us debrief and understand why things went well or badly, share our needs, and discuss how to help each other. They also force us to reflect on our longer-term goals and plans to get there.   Having done more than 500 feedback sessions, here are a few things I learned:   1️⃣ Schedule and stick to it Put in recurring invites. There are always more tasks coming our way. Without dedicated slots, feedback sessions will always get deprioritised as there's no "deadline" and you don't feel the urgency.     2️⃣ Come prepared Don't just wing it! If you do not have time to reflect beforehand, set aside the first 10 minutes. It's awkward to discuss mistakes, confront tensions, or talk about deep fears and secret aspirations. There's a tendency to go into status update mode. Fight the urge and have a set of probing questions at hand to jumpstart the conversation.   If you leave thinking it's a pleasant conversation but unmemorable, you probably have not benefitted from it.   3️⃣ Go both ways   As the manager, take the initiative to encourage feedback. Build a psychologically safe environment (e.g., no repercussions, kept confidential if needed).   4️⃣ Surface issues without blame I only share what I felt or an observation. I refrain from making assumptions about the other person's intentions or feelings.   Here's an example: ❌ "You want to make me look bad by correcting me in front of my boss"  ✔ "I felt embarrassed when you corrected me in front of my boss"      5️⃣ Discuss needs and tangible next steps Once you understand the other person's perspective, share suggestions on possible solutions and mutually beneficial paths forward.   Using the same example above: ✔ "Can I suggest that If you notice an error, I am made aware first? I promise that I will treat these comments seriously and look into the issues"    6️⃣ Actionable steps forward  Take notes of the meeting and agree on things to monitor. Hold each other accountable and talk about progress made in the next session. These notes should also fall nicely into annual performance reviews. You should never be surprised by annual review memos; they are strengths and areas of development that have been discussed and worked on.   7️⃣ Don’t lose sight of the future  It's important to keep in mind that people's long-term goals, motivation, passion, and work preferences might change over time.   Have explicit discussions on the topics every couple of months.   --- These little things done consistently can make a difference in your career and relationships.    I have compiled ~100 questions that I found helpful over the years. If you would like a copy of it, let me know ☺

Most design feedback fails before it begins. "Make the button blue" "I don't like it" "Looks great!" "This feels off" These comments crush morale and create rework. After years of design feedback sessions, I've developed a 3-tier framework that transformed how my teams communicate about design: tier 1: technical feedback Execution quality Visual hierarchy Consistency with systems Accessibility standards Technical feasibility Example: "The contrast ratio here doesn't meet WCAG standards. Here's what would work better" tier 2: strategic feedback Business objectives alignment Problem-solution fit Competitive differentiation Performance metrics impact Resource requirements Example: "This approach might not support our conversion goals. What if we prioritized...?" tier 3: growth feedback Skill development opportunities Process improvements Collaboration patterns Career advancement Individual strengths leverage Example: "Your research synthesis shows depth. Have you considered leading the next sprint?" implementing this framework: label your feedback tier explicitly: "I have some tier 2 feedback about..." require specific examples for each comment vague feedback stays banned, regardless of tier create feedback request templates help teammates ask for the right tier of feedback practice deliberately start meetings by reviewing which tier you need after implementing this approach: design revisions decrease team satisfaction scores increase stakeholder alignment improve dramatically junior designers report feeling safer

We overhauled the way we do feedback, and it’s transformed the company. Here’s how: We are kind of obsessed with feedback at Koru Kids. I think it’s essential to personal development and teamwork. But it took us a few iterations to land on a great system. Initially, we tried written 360 degree feedback. This had 4 problems: 1. People didn’t write that much - you don’t get much detail or many examples 2. And you can’t ask follow up questions when it’s written 3. Negative stuff came across really harsh at times, which was dispiriting 4. Plus there’s just something about writing stuff down that makes people go weirdly formal All in all, it wasn’t the empowering, trust-building experience we wanted it to be. So we tried an experiment, and we’ve never looked back. These days, all our feedback is given ‘live’ in a session held every quarter. - The subject decides who to ask for feedback, and gives them some questions to think about - Then, on the day, the subject sits in a private Zoom with their manager - One by one, each colleague comes in and answers the questions - The manager’s role is to take notes and manage the Zoom waiting room so the subject can concentrate on listening - At the end, the subject and the manager discuss the ‘themes’ that have emerged in the session Doing it like this has solved ALL FOUR of our problems: → It’s easier to speak than write, so people give WAY more detail → We can ask clarifying questions, so we really understand the feedback → People still give ‘constructive’ feedback, but they phrase it gently so it lands far better → The whole interaction feels very real, which builds trust I find new joiners usually dread their first feedback session…. but feel AMAZING afterwards. There’s nothing like knowing that you know exactly what’s on your team’s mind about your work. For a taste of this, check out the message Rebecca shared on our internal Slack. (Shared with permission.) I love creating people systems that make the world happier. Feel free to steal this one! What’s been your experience with feedback? 🔄 Repost to share the idea, and follow Rachel Carrell for more like this

Harsh truth: Most managers give feedback at exactly the wrong time. And it's costing you engagement, retention, and results. Here's what research shows: • Morning feedback is 25% more effective • Midweek feedback gets 40% better implementation • Regular feedback boosts engagement by 31% When I implement feedback systems in organizations, we use process confirmation: ↳ One process review monthly ↳ Clear documentation of correct execution ↳ Systematic improvement tracking The science-backed framework: ↳ Schedule feedback before lunch (peak brain receptivity) ↳ Target Tuesday-Thursday (avoid Monday blues) ↳ Keep specific issues to 5-10 minutes ↳ Document improvements systematically ↳ Follow up within 7 days This prevents the classic "waiting for annual review" problem. Instead, managers confirm processes regularly, catch issues early, and build trust through consistency. Start tomorrow: 1. Block 30 minutes before lunch for your next feedback session 2. Create a simple tracking template 3. Schedule one process review with each team member What's your biggest challenge with giving feedback? Reply below ⬇️ ___ 👋 Hi, I'm Sharon Grossman! I help organizations reduce turnover. ♻️ Repost to support your network. 🔔 Follow me for leadership, burnout, and retention strategies

Great products aren’t born, they're iterated. How I turned feedback into product gold at Kraftful. At the start of this year, I pivoted Kraftful to address a challenge that had been a constant in my product management career: how to harness all forms of user feedback. From app store reviews to support tickets and user interviews to survey data - I wanted to hear it all. This pivot was a game-changer. Here’s my approach post-pivot: 👂🏻Comprehensive Listening: I started incorporating diverse feedback sources into our product development cycle. This meant not just listening to one or two channels, but all - user interviews, support tickets, in-product surveys, social media DMs, etc. 🧠 Identifying the Core Message: Amidst this sea of feedback, I learned to find the consistent themes. These are the true insights that can guide meaningful product changes. I was lucky to be able to use Kraftful to identify that core message. 💻 Iterative Development: With a more holistic understanding of user feedback, our iterations became more impactful. We were tweaking features and overhauling interfaces based on a complete picture of user needs. 💫 Continuous Feedback Loop: This new approach turned feedback into a continuous cycle, enriching our product development process and making our iterations far more effective. This pivot taught me that great products evolve through a relentless focus on user feedback, no matter how vast and varied it might be. Feedback is your most valuable resource in krafting™ a product that resonates ✌️ The photo is from our YC Demo Day, long before this pivot. #Kraftful #productmanagement #AI