Introduction: Why Leaders Need Feedback as Much as They Give It
Leadership without feedback is like navigating without a map.
Senior leaders are responsible for guiding their teams, making strategic decisions, and driving company culture. However, the higher a leader rises, the less feedback they tend to receive.
This creates dangerous blind spots, preventing leaders from growing and making the best decisions for their organizations.
Jorge Loebl, founder of Revolving Change, explains this problem:
“The higher you go, the less feedback you receive. And if you don’t receive feedback, how will you know what you can do better? How will you know if your leadership is effective? If there is no feedback culture at the top, employees will hesitate to give honest input, and that’s where the disconnect starts.”
This article will explore:
- Why senior leaders struggle to receive feedback
- How a lack of feedback impacts leadership and decision-making
- Practical ways to build a company culture where leaders embrace and model feedback
- Our Discover, Design, Deliver (DDD) process for leadership-level feedback
Effective leadership is not about knowing everything. It is about creating an environment where feedback flows in all directions — top-down, bottom-up, and peer-to-peer.
Why Leaders Rarely Hear the Truth
Most leaders understand the importance of giving feedback to their teams.
However, receiving feedback is often a different challenge.
Key Reasons Leaders Do Not Get Feedback
- Employees Fear Consequences – Employees hesitate to give feedback to their leaders because they fear it might be taken personally or impact their careers.
- Leaders Are Seen as “Untouchable” – In many organizations, hierarchy creates a perception that feedback should only flow downward.
- Lack of Feedback Culture – If a company does not actively encourage two-way feedback, employees will not feel comfortable providing it.
- Ego and Emotional Barriers – Some leaders unknowingly discourage feedback by reacting defensively when they do receive it.
Jorge describes how leaders unintentionally block feedback:
“The fish always stinks from the head. If the leadership is not open to feedback, nobody else will be. Leaders need to model feedback-seeking behaviors. If they never ask for feedback, the message is clear: feedback is not valued here.”
The Discover, Design, Deliver (DDD) Framework for Leadership-Level Feedback
To create a company culture where leaders embrace feedback, Revolving Change applies our Discover, Design, Deliver (DDD) process, ensuring that feedback becomes an integrated and expected part of leadership.
Discover: Why Feedback Disappears at the Top
Before leaders can improve how they give and receive feedback, they must acknowledge where the current gaps are.
Questions leaders should ask themselves:
- When was the last time I actively asked my team for feedback?
- Do my employees feel safe giving me constructive feedback?
- Have I ever received feedback that changed the way I lead?
- What mechanisms exist in my organization for leadership feedback?
In many companies, feedback is only given when something goes wrong, which creates a culture of fear rather than growth.
Jorge explains how this affects employees and leaders alike:
“Most employees only hear feedback when they make a mistake. And when leaders never receive feedback, they assume they are doing fine. But if leaders aren’t improving, how can they expect their teams to grow?”
If feedback is not actively sought out and structured, it will not happen naturally.
Design: Build Feedback Into Your Executive Strategy
Once gaps are identified, leaders must take deliberate steps to design a feedback-friendly culture.
Strategies to encourage feedback at the leadership level:
- Normalize Leadership Feedback – Leaders should regularly ask employees, “What can I do better?” or “How can I better support you?”
- Use Structured Feedback Mechanisms – Implement tools like 360-degree feedback, anonymous surveys, or skip-level meetings to encourage open dialogue.
- Acknowledge and Act on Feedback – When leaders receive feedback, they must show they are listening by taking action and communicating what they are working on.
- Encourage Peer-to-Peer Feedback – Leaders should exchange feedback with other leaders, not just their teams, to stay accountable and learn from one another.
Jorge shares a personal practice that made a huge impact:
“In my businesses, we used to sit in a room, surrounded by our team, and ask for direct feedback. The only thing we could do was ask clarifying questions. No justifications, no defensiveness. Just listening. It was painful at first, but incredibly valuable. It showed our teams that we were serious about improvement.”
Leaders should model vulnerability in receiving feedback to set the tone for the entire organization.
Deliver: Make Feedback Part of How You Lead
Even if a leader builds a structured feedback system, it must be sustained and reinforced to become a lasting part of company culture.
How to integrate feedback into leadership development:
- Make Feedback a Leadership Expectation – Feedback-seeking behaviors should be part of leadership evaluations and promotions.
- Train Leaders on How to Receive Feedback – Leaders should be coached on how to handle criticism constructively and without defensiveness.
- Incorporate Feedback into Decision-Making – When leaders act on feedback and communicate their improvements, they build trust with their teams.
- Use Metrics to Measure Feedback Success – Evaluate feedback engagement levels, participation in surveys, and the effectiveness of leadership responses.
Jorge highlights how soliciting feedback strengthens leadership credibility:
“A leader who actively seeks feedback and applies it earns the respect of their team. People follow leaders who are willing to improve, not just those who give orders. Leadership is about continuous self-development.”
When feedback becomes a leadership value, it trickles down through the entire organization, creating a culture of transparency, trust, and high performance.
Final Takeaway: Great Leaders Ask for Feedback
Leaders who fail to seek feedback risk stagnation.
The best leaders are those who:
- Regularly ask for feedback from employees, peers, and mentors
- Normalize two-way feedback in their organizations
- Act on feedback to build trust and credibility
- Train themselves and others in effective feedback strategies
As Jorge reminds us:
“Leadership is not about having all the answers, but about creating an environment where learning never stops. Leaders who embrace feedback don’t just grow themselves, they elevate their entire organizations.”
Feedback Is a Leadership Advantage
You cannot lead effectively without feedback.
If you’re serious about creating a culture of growth, your leadership must model feedback from the top, check out our Memberships to explore how to deepen this mindset into your organization.