𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 / 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸

90% of startups fail. How can you ensure yours thrives?

Over the next few weeks, we will cover the five crucial execution pitfalls in your startup and how to avoid them. Today is our fourth execution pitfall in the series: feedback.

“Everyone thinks of changing the world,

but no one thinks of changing himself.”

― Leo Tolstoy

Even the best professional athletes, performers, and business leaders rely on trainers and experts to improve further.

Here are some examples:

• Professional insights—addresses blind spots and fosters personal development.

• Customer feedback—reveals product flaws and unmet needs.

• Team analyses—enhances group dynamics and boosts performance.

If you focus on always getting better, it’s more likely you will.

Five Feedback Strategies to Propel Growth

These approaches help facilitate personal, product, and team growth.

1. Tone Setting

Share stories of how feedback has shaped your growth.

Emphasize future growth. When you linger on mistakes it emphasizes blaming, but when you talk about learning it conveys that you care about success.

Thank people for their feedback since it’s tough to be direct and candid.

2. Open-ended Questions

Use these open-ended questions to uncover valuable insights:

• How could I do this better next time? (We can always improve.)

• What about my style may create obstacles for people? (I might be hindering growth.)

• What should we work on next? (Think towards the future.)

• What have you seen others do in this situation? (Someone else has been here before, so there are models to follow.)

3. Anonymous Surveys

Once you embrace improvement over the false expectation of perfection, then you become more willing to learn and less likely to punish.

Anonymous surveys can reveal truths that direct feedback might not convey.

Once as a CFO, the most nervous I’ve ever felt were the moments before an anonymous survey about me. However, I received a lot of helpful ideas.

4. Objective Measures

Use objective metrics to drive collaborative improvements.

Track and share industry metrics that align with your desired outcomes.

Once, I built a company-wide dashboard to easily view progress and discuss potential risks and opportunities. This feedback across teams increased creativity and lowered risks.

Also, offer people multiple channels for feedback – e.g. quick and longer surveys, group discussions, and 1:1 meetings.

5. Prioritize Ideas

Transform ideas into action with a structured process for prioritization by creating an ongoing method to collect, evaluate, and prioritize ideas.

I’ve facilitated cross-team groups to make changes quickly at a low cost.

The more ideas you implement, the more your team will be excited.

Seeking feedback isn't just a strategy, it's a catalyst for innovation, retention, and scalable success. Start today.

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This post was written by me with AI editing. The illustration is generated by AI.

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