Yes — that F-word. The one people avoid. The one most teams never really build a system around. But for leaders and business owners who want to build something that actually scales, feedback is not optional. It is a strategic imperative.
At SPM & Co, we think about feedback as a skill. Not a personality trait. Not something you’re naturally good at or bad at — just a skill. And like any skill that matters, it takes structure and intention to get better at it. It’s also a skill that applies universally — up and down the chain of command.
At the heart of the matter is this: giving feedback is only half the equation. For it to lead to real progress, the person on the receiving end has to be open to it, not just hearing the words, but actually listening, reflecting, and choosing to grow. Without that mindset, even the best feedback stalls out.
That mindset doesn’t show up on its own, it grows in a culture where feedback is expected and valued. A culture of feedback creates the clarity and trust needed for long-term growth. That’s why feedback isn’t just a leadership responsibility, it’s a team-wide skill. The most effective employees aren’t simply good at their jobs. They’re good at receiving input, making adjustments, and showing they want to improve.
Feedback is a gift — but it only creates value when it’s used. And for that to happen consistently, the culture has to support it. A strong feedback culture is what turns individual input into collective growth.
Feedback Is the Foundation of Forward Momentum
One of the more important conversations we had internally this year, during our T1 Kickoff, was about feedback. Not the formal kind that happens during performance reviews, but the everyday kind. The kind that either helps a business move forward or quietly stalls progress when it’s missing.
Entrepreneurs often assume progress is made in the big moments — hiring a new leader, landing a key client, launching a new offering. But in reality, momentum is built in the small moments. It happens when a team member gains clarity from a single conversation. When tension is addressed before it festers. When the right feedback, delivered at the right time, allows someone to adjust and move forward.
“It’s the little things that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”
~ Coach John Wooden
On the flip side, a lack of feedback doesn’t just stall performance, it erodes trust. When people aren’t told the truth (especially the hard truth), they start filling in the gaps. Productivity drops. Small issues turn into cultural landmines. And momentum grinds to a halt.
Feedback isn’t fluffy. It’s structural. It’s what turns a group of individuals into a high-performing team.
The Cost of Avoiding It
Most business owners don’t avoid feedback on purpose. It’s just easy to get caught up in the day-to-day: the decisions, the client work, the hiring, etc., and assume that silence means alignment. But it usually doesn’t.
When feedback disappears, it’s often a sign of deeper issues: unclear expectations, unresolved tension, or a lack of trust in the environment. Left alone, those issues grow. Projects slow down. Problems get avoided instead of addressed. And people start filling in the blanks with their own assumptions, which is when culture really starts to drift.
One of the slides from our team kickoff this year put it simply:
No Feedback = No Progress.
That’s something we’ve seen firsthand. When feedback is missing, so is momentum.
Famously, at Google, dissent isn’t just tolerated — it’s encouraged. They’ve learned it’s better to hear about a problem in the boardroom than in the marketplace. And that requires feedback loops that are frequent, direct, and safe.
That’s the goal. Not to create a culture of criticism, but to create a culture where feedback is expected, practiced, and welcomed.
Building the Muscle
Like any important system inside a business, feedback loops don’t just show up — you have to build them.
That means creating intentional opportunities for feedback to happen and not just reacting when something’s off. Leaders need to be deliberate about carving out space for input, reflection, and realignment. That could be through structured check-ins, project reviews, or even just making time at the end of a meeting to ask, “What’s not being said?” Without that rhythm, feedback becomes sporadic and reactive, and that usually means it’s too late.
For us, that’s meant creating clearer rhythms around when and how we give feedback. It’s not about adding another meeting or process for the sake of it — it’s about reinforcing the idea that feedback isn’t something to avoid. It’s part of how we work.
We’ve had team meetings where someone names a miscommunication or calls out something that felt unclear, not to criticize, but to realign. A year ago, that might have gone unsaid. That shift didn’t happen by accident. It comes from building trust and making space for feedback every week, not just when something breaks.
More importantly, it sets the tone: We’re here to get better. And getting better requires feedback — in both directions.
Leaders Go First
We tell our team this often: feedback isn’t just something we give. It’s something we have to learn to receive well, too.
That starts at the top.
As a business owner, your willingness to receive feedback sets the tone for everyone else. If you shut it down, it disappears. If you invite it, model it, and respond with clarity (not defensiveness), people start to trust the process.
It doesn’t mean you act on every piece of feedback. It just means you take it seriously.
The goal here isn’t perfection. It’s progress.
Creating a Feedback Culture
Creating a culture where feedback works doesn’t mean leaders have to be perfect, but it does mean we have to be consistent. If we want feedback to be part of the way we work, it can’t just show up when something’s wrong. It has to be present in everyday conversations, in the way we recognize progress, ask questions, and offer clarity. And it requires something from everyone, not just managers. Feedback is a two-way responsibility. Employees who show they can receive input without shutting down or deflecting are the ones who help build trust across the team.
If feedback is only ever corrective, it becomes something people brace for. But when it’s part of regular conversation, pointing out what’s working, where we can tighten up, and where we’re headed, it starts to feel more like alignment than criticism. That’s when people start offering their own input more freely. And that’s when feedback starts doing what it’s meant to do: keep everyone rowing in the same direction.
Coachability Accelerates Growth
Employees who receive feedback well, who listen openly, reflect without defensiveness, and show a clear desire to improve, have a distinct advantage. Leaders tend to lean in with those individuals. They’re easier to coach, easier to trust, and easier to invest in. Over time, that creates more opportunities, more exposure, and more growth.
On the flip side, when someone regularly resists or dismisses feedback — even well-intended, constructive feedback — leaders eventually pull back. Not out of spite, but out of practicality. They stop offering input because it doesn’t go anywhere.
As owners and managers, that’s something worth watching closely, not just on your current team, but during the hiring process. A candidate’s posture toward feedback, how they respond to coaching, how curious they are about their own blind spots, is often a clearer predictor of long-term success than technical skills or experience.
Spotting It Early
You can often spot this trait early if you know what to look for. In interviews, it shows up when a candidate talks about past mistakes without getting defensive, or when they can clearly articulate how they’ve grown from past feedback. They’ll usually describe managers who challenged them, and speak about those experiences with respect, not resentment.
We recently hired someone (starts at the end of the month) whose posture toward feedback was clear within minutes. When I asked about previous roles, they spoke with genuine appreciation for a former manager who had pushed them, coached them, and helped them grow. That respect and reflection showed an openness to feedback, and that told me all I needed to know: this person was coachable.
You can also prompt it directly by asking how they’ve responded to constructive criticism, or what kind of coaching they’ve found most valuable. Once someone’s on the team, the signs get even clearer: they ask thoughtful questions, seek clarity when expectations aren’t met, and follow through on guidance without dragging their feet.
These are the people who tend to accelerate quickly, not because they’re perfect, but because they’re coachable. And in a growing company, that’s one of the most valuable traits a person can bring.
A Culture That Moves Faster
When feedback is part of the culture, everything gets lighter. Tension surfaces before it grows. Misalignment is addressed early. People know where they stand. And things move faster because people aren’t second-guessing each other behind the scenes.
The best teams — the ones that move with clarity and confidence — are the ones where feedback is practiced regularly and done well.
That’s not just a leadership idea. It’s an operational one. It keeps people aligned, engaged, and focused on what matters.