Most startups don’t fail because of a lack of money or a poor product. They simply fail because of an unspoken build-up of problems – decisions that were never questioned, processes that nobody wanted to question, frustrations that were never voiced to the appropriate person. There were problems. People simply didn’t feel comfortable voicing them.
A feedback-driven culture solves this problem from its roots. A feedback-driven culture means your team can voice their opinions. Problems are addressed before they become bigger. Good ideas are heard by people who can do something with them. And what management thinks is really going on is much closer to what is really going on.
It’s easy to say. Let’s get into how you can make this happen.
Why Feedback Matters
Teams derive their cues from their founders and leaders more than leaders think. If you are defensive about criticism, your team will notice. If you only give feedback downward but not upward, your team will get the message regardless of what you say in all-hands meetings.
1. Start with Yourself & Lead by Example
The most powerful thing you can do to build a feedback-driven culture in your startup is to lead by example. Make your own decisions subject to feedback. Admit that a particular thing you tried didn’t work. Ask for feedback at the start of meetings, not just at the end, when everyone around you has mentally checked out.
This does not require you to be vulnerable. It requires you to demonstrate that feedback is a working tool in your organisation.
Tip: Ask for feedback on your most recent projects at the start of meetings. This helps to create a feedback-driven culture in your startup.
Great feedback needs the right room to be heard.
2. Make It Safe Before You Make It Mandatory
For feedback to happen, people have to trust that sharing their perspective will not cost them something. Therefore, before developing any kind of feedback system, the more critical task is cultural. People need to see that expressing their concerns will lead to a healthy conversation, not an escalation.
One way to encourage feedback is through anonymous feedback. One startup implemented an easy feedback system whereby anyone could submit feedback without having to attach their name. Not only did people participate in larger numbers than expected, but some of those initial feedback submissions also became process changes. After people saw that anonymous feedback was being taken seriously, many became comfortable with sharing their feedback.
The idea of anonymous feedback is to get people comfortable with sharing feedback. However, it is only an interim solution. Ultimately, the idea is to build a startup culture whereby people feel comfortable putting their name to what they think.
3. Teach People How to Do It Well
The ability to give constructive feedback is a skill that most people have never been taught properly.
The ability to receive feedback well is another skill. Neither of these skills comes naturally to all people. Assuming that they do can make feedback discussions more troublesome than beneficial.
Short training sessions can make a huge impact. Role-playing exercises in which team members practice giving and receiving feedback in simulated scenarios can make the actual process easier when it occurs. The goal is to make feedback seem like second nature in the workplace.
4. Give People More Than One Way to Speak Up
A single channel for feedback will always be underutilized by part of your team. Some team members may be articulate in group discussions. Others may think better in writing. Some may open up in one-on-one meetings but remain quiet in the presence of the team.
A feedback system that is well-designed takes all this into consideration. One-on-one meetings, surveys, open discussions in groups, and review methods all cater to different communication styles. The more accessible the feedback process is made, the more of your team will actually make use of it.
Build a team culture where better ideas naturally surface.
5. Act on Feedback
This is where most feedback cultures fail. A team that shares ideas and never sees anything happen will eventually stop sharing. It's pointless, and the underlying message is that feedback is being gathered but not considered.
If feedback leads to a change, acknowledge the change. If the feedback was brought up in the team and implemented, acknowledge that too. One founder we know made it a point to start each weekly team meeting by referring to at least one decision that came directly out of something a team member had brought up. This became one of the most effective things he did to engage the team, not because it was complex, but because it acknowledged the feedback loop.
If feedback is not possible, explain the reason. This is just as important
6. Celebrate Feedback Successes
This is also where most feedback cultures fail. A team that is encouraged to share ideas and never sees anything change will simply stop. The effort is not only futile, it also sends a message that feedback is gathered and then discarded.
When feedback does result in change, acknowledge it. When a suggestion was put forward and implemented, acknowledge it. One founder we know had as a practice to start meetings with his team by acknowledging at least one decision that had been driven directly from something that had been identified as an issue within the team. This, over time, became perhaps the most effective thing he ever did for his team’s engagement, and it wasn’t particularly difficult – it simply acknowledged that the feedback loop was real.
When feedback cannot be acted on, explain that as well.
7. Encourage Peer-to-Peer Feedback
The feedback-driven culture in your startup is not the same as the review process. Feedback is more likely to be generated laterally, which means the most valuable feedback in your organisation is likely to be generated among peers who are around each other every day but are not privy to the same information as the managers.
If peer-to-peer feedback is something that is going to be part of the regular process, then the relationships between people are going to be more effective, and problems are going to be identified at an early stage. Buddy systems are effective in achieving this without making it look artificial.
8. Be Patient and Consistent
A feedback-driven culture in your startup is not something that develops in a quarter. Teams that have grown up in an environment where speaking up is risky are not going to change in a quarter, and waiting for that to happen is only going to set you up for disappointment.
It’s iterative. Your feedback practices will need to be revisited. What works for your team when it’s eight people may need to change as it’s now thirty. The consistency of your commitment to it is far more important than any specific tactic within it.
Wrapping Up
Companies that build a feedback-driven culture are faster, make fewer costly mistakes, and keep employees for longer. The link between feedback and speed, or between feedback and retention, or between feedback and mistake prevention, is a straight line. When employees feel heard, they stick around. When problems are called out early, they are fixed before they are costly. When ideas flow freely, regardless of where they are from within the org chart, the quality of decisions improves.
The culture you build early on sets the default for everything that follows. Feedback is one of the most important defaults to get right.
Discover the Perfect Workspace for Your Startup
Companies that establish a feedback-driven culture are also faster, make fewer mistakes, and retain their employees for longer. The connection between feedback and speed, or feedback and retention, or feedback and mistakes, is a straight line. Employees who feel heard stick around longer. Mistakes pointed out early are fixed before they become costly. Ideas flow freely, regardless of their source in the org chart, and the quality of decisions improves. That is exactly what Beginest does in our coworking spaces in Indiranagar & our coworking spaces in MG Road.
The culture you establish early on is essentially the default of everything that follows, and feedback is one of the most significant defaults to establish.