The Importance of Feedback for Professional Growth

In my 18 years at Amazon, I've seen more careers transformed by the next 2 weeks than by the other 50 weeks of the year combined. It's performance review season. Most people rush through it like a chore, seeing it as an interruption to their "real work." The smartest people I know do the opposite: they treat these upcoming weeks as their highest-leverage opportunity of the year. After handling over fifty feedback requests, self-reviews, and upward feedback 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 for nearly two decades, I've learned this isn't just another corporate exercise. This is when careers pivot, accelerate, or stall. Your feedback directly impacts compensation, career trajectories, and professional growth. Your self-assessment frames how leadership views your entire year's work. This isn't busywork—it's career-defining work, but we treat it with as much enthusiasm as taking out trash. Here's how to make the most of it: 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗻'𝘁 - Ask yourself: "What perspective am I uniquely positioned to share?" Everyone will comment on the obvious wins and challenges. Your job is to provide insights others miss, making your feedback instantly invaluable. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗯𝗶𝗮𝘀 - I keep a living document for every person I work with. When something feedback-worthy happens—good or challenging—it goes in immediately. No more scrambling to remember projects from months ago. This ensures specific, timely examples when needed. 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 - Don't just list tasks—craft a narrative. Lead with behaviors that drove impact. Show your growth in handling complex situations, influencing across teams, and making difficult trade-offs. Demonstrate self-awareness by acknowledging areas where you're actively improving. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 - They receive little feedback all year. Focus on how they help you succeed and specific ways they could support you better. Make it dense with information—this might be their only chance to learn how to serve their team better. 𝗢𝗻 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 - The difference between criticism and valuable input is showing you genuinely want the other person to succeed. When that intention shines through, you don't need to walk on eggshells. Be specific about the behavior, its impact, and how it could improve. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 - Good constructive feedback often feels like an insult at first. But here's the mindset shift that changed everything for me: feedback is a gift. It's direct guidance on improvement from those who work closest with you. When you feel that defensive instinct rise, pause and focus on understanding instead. Here's your challenge: This year, treat performance review season like the most important work you'll do. Because in terms of long-term impact on careers—both yours and others'—it just might be.

Feedback isn’t a mirror. It’s a window. We often think of feedback as a reflection of who we are. But the most valuable feedback doesn’t confirm—it reveals. It opens a window into how others experience us, what’s working, what’s missing, and what we might not yet see. And, perhaps even more interesting, it reveals something about the person giving the feedback—what they see, their beliefs, and their goals for our relationship or partnership. The challenge I so often see is that most of us were never taught how to receive feedback well. We were taught to perform, to defend, to explain. But transformation rarely comes from defending. It comes from staying open, even when the message is uncomfortable or imperfectly delivered. Feedback doesn’t always arrive in elegant packaging (I know we all have these stories!). Sometimes it’s blunt. Sometimes it’s vague. Sometimes it comes too late. But I’m learning to pause, stay curious, and look for the truth inside the message. And I’ve seen that that’s when the real growth begins. Feedback isn’t about judgment. It’s about possibility. It’s not meant to shrink us. It’s meant to stretch us toward who we are each capable of becoming.

Top performers don’t need less feedback. They need more of it. In my career, I heard: » “No news is good news” » “Keep doing what you are doing” » “You are the one I know I don’t need to worry about” But, this left me frustrated because I didn’t have a clear path for growth. A shocking statistic: 30% of top corporate talent leaves within the first year. The reason? Lack of feedback. Here's what the stats say:  » High performers can be 400% more productive  » Top 10% deliver 60% of the team's output  » The 'ripple effect' — top performers enhance nearby coworkers' performance by 15% Yet only 53% of them receive the feedback they want. Top performers deserve more than a “they're doing great, let's not jinx it” attitude. The big mistake:  ❌ Assuming they've got it all figured out ❌ Withholding constructive feedback to not ‘give them a big head’ ❌ Giving feedback only to underperformers What they actually need: ✅ Regular feedback (at least monthly) ✅ Constructive criticism ✅ Clear development paths ✅ Recognition for their impact Avoiding feedback doesn't keep your top talent engaged—it drives them away. Take a moment and encourage them today. P.S. Top performers, what has been the most helpful feedback you have received? ♻️ Repost to help others in your network retain their top talent Follow me, Jill Avey for more leadership insights Research: https://lnkd.in/gDA7RfUV

The first time I received tough feedback as a coach, it stung. A client told me, “Your strategies are great, but sometimes I feel like you don’t dig deep enough into my challenges.” Ouch. My first instinct was to defend myself, but instead, I chose to listen. I realized that feedback wasn’t a criticism - it was a mirror. It showed me blind spots I couldn’t see on my own. I began to actively seek feedback, not just from clients but from peers and mentors. “What could I do better?” Became a staple question in my conversations. Some answers were uncomfortable, but every piece of feedback became a stepping stone toward growth. Here’s what I learned: - Feedback isn’t personal, it’s an opportunity. - Ask specific questions to get actionable insights. - Implement one change at a time, and track the impact. In 2025, make feedback your superpower. It’s not just about improvement, It’s about connection, trust, and growth. PS. How do you approach feedback? #Feedback #Business

My mentor often said, "You got this!" while I felt frustrated and stuck in my career. Her constant "encouragement" made me feel ashamed rather than empowered. Because frankly, nothing was moving the way I wanted it to. The self-doubt kept looming over my head. This is when I had to swallow a bitter truth. → The most dangerous feedback isn't criticism. It's the praise that keeps you comfortably stuck. I know, because I spent years collecting cheerleaders instead of critics while feeling stuck in the same role for 5 years. But one conversation changed everything. A colleague (who everyone thought was difficult) said to me, "Your thinking is surface-level. This is why you're not ready for a promotion." My brain's first response was, "How dare you?" Then, a moment of self-reflection. Then, the realization that she was absolutely right. I was great at my level, but I had done nothing to even be barely decent at where I wanted to go. This is a classic case of the seduction of 'toxic' positivity, and why it's so hard to seek difficult feedback. - We seek people who'll tell us what we want to hear because we're terrified of confirming our deepest fears.  - "You can do it!" without "Here's what you need to fix" isn't constructive feedback. It's avoiding the harder conversations about the gaps between where you are and where you need to be. - Knowing who to ask for feedback is a career-growth skill but most feedback can stall you. It might be hard to accept but sometimes mentorship can create unrealistic expectations about career progression, leading to deeper imposter syndrome when facing real barriers. Choose a mentor who isn't afraid to make you uncomfortable. The real question isn't, "What do I want to hear?" It is, "What do I need to hear?" ——— 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on breaking barriers for women in product and tech leadership. #productmanagement #productgrowth #womeninproduct #leadership

Feedback is a two way street. As leaders, we understand the importance of consistent, actionable feedback. Performance reviews. Coaching moments. Growth opportunties. But so many leaders (and organizations) forget that it is a two way street, you also have to receive feedback. We expect our teams to accept constructive criticism with grace, but then when it comes to receiving feedback, it's viewed as "subordination", the ickiest corporate jargon to date. You should want your teams to give you feedback, about their workloads, their experiences, their concerns and yes, even about you. When you actually care about the thing your building, you should want to make it better, and better comes from actually being open to feedback. I was recently talking to a coaching client who expressed concern about their current work situation and when I asked if they had brought it up with their manager, you know what they told me? They're not allowed to provide any negative feedback about anything because their organization will fire them. Giving feedback isn’t just frowned upon, it’s fireable. That’s not leadership. That's ego. That’s power wielded as harm. And I can guarantee that that company will never get better than it is today, which isn't sounding very good to begin with. Running from hard truths doesn’t make you stronger. It makes your team weaker. If you care about your mission, your people, and getting better at what you do, you'll start running from feedback and start running towards it. Because silence doesn’t build great teams. Great teams require safety to express your truth, even when it's ugly. Silence does not solve our problems, it only deepens them.

Plot twist: The day I thought I would get fired became the day I truly started growing at Amazon. First document review as a new hire: My screen lit up with a sea of red - strikethroughs, comments, and highlights everywhere. My stomach dropped. Despite years of academic writing and a PhD in economics, here I was, feeling like a complete novice. Then something shifted. I realized my manager was not tearing my work apart - she was investing valuable time to help me build it stronger. What felt like criticism in the moment was actually the foundation for growth. That "harsh" feedback? It was a vote of confidence in my potential. The most valuable professional development rarely feels comfortable in the moment. The color red on your document does not signal failure - it signals someone believes in your ability to improve. Today, as I review others' documents, I remember sitting on the other side. The best feedback is not gentle - it is honest. It is not about making someone feel good momentarily, but helping them excel in the long run. When has feedback that initially stung led to your most significant professional transformation?

Your brain can't process praise and criticism simultaneously. That's why traditional feedback methods are harmful. But there's ONE discovery that creates growth, not resistance: Direct. Then Connect. Neuroscience shows our brains process praise and criticism through completely different neural pathways. That's why the "feedback sandwich" fails so spectacularly. When we buffer criticism with praise... The brain cannot process these mixed signals effectively. People see through it anyway. Studies show 74% of professionals detect sandwich feedback within seconds. Having directly managed 300+ people and coached over 100 founders on leadership and culture, I’ve seen the real impact of feedback. Here’s what works... Two simple steps: 1. DIRECT: First, get permission and deliver unfiltered feedback. "May I share some observations about your presentation?" Then state exactly what needs improvement. This activates voluntary participation, and increases receptivity greatly. 2. CONNECT: Then, separately reaffirm their value "Your contributions remain vital to our success." The key? Complete separation between these steps. Direct feedback gives a clean signal about what needs to change. Connection maintains psychological safety. They know their status isn't threatened. Getting permission isn’t a minor detail - it’s crucial. It fosters respect and trust before you give tough feedback. Setting the stage for it to land well. The neuroscience behind this is clear: A Gallup study shows regular feedback mechanisms result in 14.9% increase in employee engagement and a 21% increase in profitability. Companies implementing this see remarkable results: • Cisco saw 54% faster resolution of team conflicts • Adobe reported 30% reduction in employee turnover • Pixar found 22% higher willingness to challenge assumptions • Microsoft under Nadella accelerated deployment cycles by 31% The traditional sandwich approach can feel safer, but it creates distrust. Direct Then Connect can feel scarier, but it builds psychological safety. Humans are wired to prioritize belonging above almost everything. When feedback threatens our status, our brains go into protection mode. When feedback becomes clear and non-threatening, learning accelerates. Implementing this approach requires courage. You have to trust your relationship is strong enough to handle direct feedback. But that's the paradox: By being more direct, you actually build stronger relationships. Try it with your team this week. You might feel uncomfortable at first, but watch what happens to your culture. When feedback becomes clear and non-threatening, learning accelerates. And companies that learn faster win. - If you liked this post? Follow us for more insights on conscious leadership and building companies from the inside out. Proud to coach with Inside-Out Leadership: executive coaching by trained coaches who have founded, funded, scaled, & sold their own companies.

I recently had a candid conversation with a colleague that got me thinking.    I asked him, "Do you trust me?" He replied affirmatively, so I followed up with, "Do you trust me enough to give you some direct feedback and still like me afterwards?"     Again, he said yes. So, I shared my feedback. To my surprise, he responded, "I've received feedback about this before, but no one ever told me exactly what to change and why I really should." This exchange made me reflect on how often this scenario plays out in our lives. How many times have we received vague feedback without clear direction on how to improve? Feedback, when given constructively and specifically, can be transformative. It provides us with actionable insights that help us grow both personally and professionally. As leaders and colleagues, let's commit to giving feedback that is not only honest but also clear and actionable. Let's take the time to explain not just what needs improvement, but why it matters and how it contributes to our collective success.    As Brené Brown has said: Clear is kind, unclear is unkind.  Have you had a similar experience with feedback? How did it impact you? Share your thoughts in the comments below!   

I've been an executive leader for a year now 🙌... Over the years, leading in smaller capacities and receiving feedback, I've developed mantras that help me daily. I used to think receiving this kind of feedback meant I could never be a leader: 🙄 "Why do you care so much about details?" 😠 "You need to have a backbone; you are too nice." 🧐 "This is amazing, but it’s too sophisticated for everyone else." Yet, this same feedback has helped shape my leadership mantras today☝ 1️⃣ "Not in the business of convincing.": Trying to convince someone why the details matter when they are not detail-oriented and don’t value them? Nope. They have other strengths to be celebrated. Move on. 2️⃣ "Transactional vs. transformational leadership.": Being kind and giving is a strength in business. Knowledge transfer is the best way to attract those who want help executing. These are the people who will pay you. 3️⃣ "Operate as a host, not a hero.": Host a solution or offering, and let others explore. Don’t assume what others are capable of—you’d be surprised how amazing your co-worker is at something you never thought of. 💡 I know the more comfortable people are sharing feedback, the faster growth comes. Creating safe spaces for others to share is essential. Giving quality, substantiated, and actionable feedback is too. Be on their side; thrive. Try these: 🤝 Co-workers: "There is an opportunity for improvement in how we work together. I'm excited to hear your thoughts." ☝ Manager: "Does this feedback provide clarity? Are you confident with the next steps?" 🤞 Individual Contributor: "Based on this feedback, here is my understanding of the next steps. Does this align with expectations?" -In flight