{"id":5510,"date":"2026-08-13T10:14:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T10:14:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coachmore.fi\/?p=5510"},"modified":"2026-10-07T10:16:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T10:16:05","slug":"from-evaluation-to-development-how-do-we-build-a-feedback-culture-that-truly-makes-a-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coachmore.viljamedia.com\/en\/from-evaluation-to-development-how-do-we-build-a-feedback-culture-that-truly-makes-a-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"From Evaluation to Development: How Do We Build a Feedback Culture That Truly Makes a Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In most organizations, the importance of feedback is not questioned. We want more of it, and we hope it will support learning, strengthen collaboration, and help people grow. Many organizations have introduced different models, performance and development discussions, and surveys to support giving and receiving feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet both giving and receiving feedback are often experienced as difficult. Perhaps because a strong feedback culture requires more than technical skills. It requires us to pause and examine how we actually perceive each other\u2019s performance, what we dare to say out loud, and how we respond when our own self-perception is challenged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do We See the Situation \u2013 or Our Own Interpretation?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When we evaluate someone else\u2019s actions, we never do so from a completely neutral standpoint. Our own experiences, expectations, and preferences act as filters. One person may value quick decision-making, while another sees careful consideration as a strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the fundamental principles of high-quality feedback is therefore to distinguish between observation and interpretation<\/strong>. Before giving feedback, you might ask yourself: What have I actually observed, and what is my own interpretation of it?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interpretation:<\/strong> \u201cYou\u2019re not a good listener.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observation:<\/strong> \u201cI noticed that several times you responded before the other person had finished speaking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Feedback to Feedforward<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Feedback gives us information, but coaching helps us do something with that information. A coaching approach shifts the focus from evaluation towards reflection, ownership, and action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where Marshall Goldsmith\u2019s concept of Feedforward<\/strong> can be useful. Instead of getting stuck on what went wrong, we turn our attention towards what comes next:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you notice yourself in this situation?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat would you like to try doing differently next time?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When employees have the opportunity to define their own next step, it creates a very different level of commitment than when the solution is simply handed to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without Psychological Safety, the Most Important Feedback Remains Unspoken<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No feedback model will help if people do not feel safe enough to use it. This is where Amy Edmondson\u2019s research on psychological safety<\/strong> becomes particularly relevant. If people believe that honesty could affect their position or relationships, important observations may never surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the real test of a feedback culture is not how much feedback is given, but who people dare to give it to<\/strong>. Can an employee give feedback to their manager? Can a leadership team acknowledge when something is not working?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Psychological safety does not mean that everything should feel comfortable. It means that difficult conversations can be held constructively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Leader\u2019s Response Shapes the Culture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A leader\u2019s role is not only to give good feedback, but also to set an example in how they receive it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How you respond when you hear something you would rather not hear \u2013 whether you become defensive or manage to remain curious even when the feedback challenges you \u2013 tells your team more about the culture than any set of guidelines ever could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Few Questions for Reflection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Is the feedback I give based on observations or on my own interpretations?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Do I ask for the other person\u2019s perspective before sharing my own?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • In our organization, do we dare to give feedback upwards as well?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • How do I respond to feedback that challenges me?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    A strong feedback culture is rarely built through a single training session or feedback model. It is created in everyday interactions \u2013 in how we ask, listen, challenge, and respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is where coaching can play an important role: it creates space to practise the conversations and behaviours through which culture is actually shaped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ultimately, perhaps the question is not:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Do we have a feedback model?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But rather:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What happens in our organization when someone actually says what needs to be said?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    #leadership #feedbackculture #coaching #organizationaldevelopment #feedforward #psychologicalsafety<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Nina Wendelin \/ Founder, CEO & certified professional coach<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    In most organizations, the importance of feedback is not questioned. We want more of it, and we hope it will support learning, strengthen collaboration, and help people grow. Many organizations have introduced different models, performance and development discussions, and surveys to support giving and receiving feedback. Yet both giving and receiving feedback are often experienced […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-allmant"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coachmore.viljamedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coachmore.viljamedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coachmore.viljamedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachmore.viljamedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachmore.viljamedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5510"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/coachmore.viljamedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5510\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5824,"href":"https:\/\/coachmore.viljamedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5510\/revisions\/5824"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachmore.viljamedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coachmore.viljamedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachmore.viljamedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachmore.viljamedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}