As leaders, receiving constructive feedback from our teams is crucial and, I would suggest, is a key component in building and maintaining high performing teams. There are, in my experience, six reasons why we should encourage, and accept, such feedback.

1. Self-awareness: Feedback helps us understand how our leadership style is perceived by others. This awareness allows us to identify blind spots and areas for personal growth.

2. Team improvement: It provides insights into what’s working well and what isn’t from the team’s perspective. This enables us to adjust strategies, processes, or communication methods to improve team dynamics and performance.

3. Building trust: Actively seeking feedback signals that we value our team’s opinions and are open to improvement, fostering a vital culture of trust and openness.

4. Better decision-making: Feedback can offer different viewpoints and highlight potential issues or opportunities that we may not have considered, leading to more informed decisions.

5. Increased engagement: When team members feel heard, they are more likely to be engaged and committed to their work, knowing their input has an impact on leadership and direction.

6. Continuous improvement: Leadership is an ongoing learning process. Regular feedback helps us stay agile and continuously evolve to meet the changing needs of our team and organisation.

In my next post I will develop a framework for enabling ‘upwards’ feedback from teams and individuals.