Change Management Feedback Mechanisms For Leaders

An open door means nothing if people don't feel safe walking through it. Most leaders struggle with team communication. Not because they're bad leaders— But because they mistake silence for everything being fine. Silence hides your biggest risks. If you see even one of these signals, pay attention: 1. The sudden drop in questions → When "any questions?" gets zero response That's fear, not clarity 2. The quick "yes" to every proposal → When pushback disappears overnight You've lost the real conversations 3. The "everything's fine" updates → When status reports are too perfect Problems are hiding in plain sight 4. The private back-channels → When feedback comes through others Direct trust is broken 5. The missing disagreements → When was the last time someone challenged you? Harmony isn't always healthy Here's what actually works: 1. Ask Better Questions → Not: "How's everything going?" → But: "What obstacle should I know about?" → And: "What would you do differently?" 2. Create Multiple Channels → Schedule skip-level meetings → Set up anonymous feedback loops → Use async channels for timely inputs 3. Go Where They Are → Walk the floor (or virtual rooms) → Join project channels → Show up in their space, not yours → Engage with those whom you haven't heard from Most importantly: Act on what you hear—even if you disagree. Nothing kills trust faster than ignored input. When people see their input matters, they'll give you more of it. Leadership is active, not passive. Stop waiting. Start seeking. 💬 Leaders: What other listening mechanisms work for you? ---- Follow me, tap the (🔔) Omar Halabieh for daily Leadership and Career posts

How can you tell if your employee listening programs are any good? At Google, we had a simple question we used to evaluate our own programs: Is the employee feedback representative, constructive, heard and considered? Let’s unpack each principle: 1️⃣ Representative: Are you hearing from a true cross-section of your workforce? Can leaders trust the data? Effective listening goes beyond the usual survey respondents. It actively seeks out diverse perspectives across demographics, departments, tenure, and management levels. When feedback is representative, you gain a holistic understanding of your organization's pulse, enabling more inclusive and impactful decisions. When it’s not, your results won’t have enough credibility to effect change. 2️⃣ Constructive: Is the feedback you're gathering actionable and solution-oriented? Will leaders know how to utilize the data? While it's essential to have channels for critical and negative feedback, you must ensure that it's shared in a way that helps turn insights into actionable improvements. “Employees are unhappy” is not a constructive insight, but  “High-performing employees were twice as likely to be dissatisfied with their opportunities for internal mobility” is much better. 3️⃣ Heard: Do your employees know their feedback is being used?   Acknowledging receipt of feedback is crucial. Simple communication, like "we've received your input and are reviewing it," can significantly boost trust and encourage continued participation. Silence, on the other hand, can breed cynicism. Always share feedback back. It doesn’t have to be question-by-question results (great if it is though!)--but at least share what the key lessons are that leaders have taken away from the feedback. 4️⃣ Considered: Do employees understand how their feedback was evaluated? If their feedback brought change? If not, why? Employees need to see that their feedback is genuinely taken into account. This doesn't mean every suggestion will be implemented. Still, it does mean transparently communicating how feedback is being analyzed, what themes are emerging, and how it's influencing programs and policies. When employees see that their input makes a difference, they become more invested. When they don’t, they become cynical, which can lead to distrust of leaders and undercut business performance. 👩💻 Hi, I'm Mary Kate Stimmler, PhD, and I write about using social science to build great workplaces and careers. (Image created by Whisk/Gemini Labs)

Change is a team sport. When the stakes rise, I do something radical: I pick up the phone (yes—your smartphone still makes calls). I ring a few friends and colleagues to brainstorm, pressure-test my hypothesis, and—sometimes—just vent. That helps too. How I use my “Change Council”: ✔️ Keep 5–7 trusted friends, colleagues, or ex-colleagues who’ll brainstorm with you—and call your BS when you need it ✔️ Share a crisp 1–2 pager: what you’re seeing, the challenge, and options to act/learn/get more data ✔️ Ask for feedback on your read, context from what they’re seeing, and red flags in your plan ✔️ Play out the plan together—and adjust sequencing What usually happens: 🆕 Fresh info shifts my perception  🎯 My point of view sharpens, and I can say it better  📣 Comms—vision, plan, and why now—get stronger  💡 Confidence grows (or I pause to gather more data, which is a win too) Prompts I always ask: “What are YOU seeing?” “Am I missing something?” “What would you do in my place?” Six smart voices + a good pre-read beats going it alone. —— Who’s on your informal change council—and what’s the one question you always ask? Tag the first person you’d call. #Leadership #ChangeManagement #NavigatingChange #Product #Engineering #Tech #Management