Change Management Strategies That Encourage Feedback

Start. Stop. Continue. Sometimes, simple ideas are the best. Several years ago, I read about a feedback framework called Start, Stop, Continue. I have since applied it hundreds of times and it is one of the most effective ways as a manager and leader to keep your ear close to the ground. Here’s how it works. Ask people on your team or across your organization to schedule a 20 minute feedback session. Spend most or all of the time listening. Your question prompt that you give in advance for the session is: What should we start doing that we are not doing? What should we stop doing? What should we continue doing? Start, Stop, Continue works because it provides a simple structure for the giver and receiver. And it gives permission to be candid about what is working and what is not. It is like magic. Some people will come with a long list of topics, while others will come with just one or two. Either way, people feel heard, you will build trust and gain insights into what is most important to people, and get some great ideas. When I was running organizations with hundreds of people, I tried to schedule at least one Start, Stop, Continue every day. I recommend doing it with people on your team at least twice a year and maybe even quarterly. I also encourage the senior executive team to all participate. It helps to the entire team better understand what the rest of the org is thinking. And if you are the CEO or senior executive, pair the Start, Stop, Continue discussion framework with bi-annual skip-level conversations. The combination is like magic. I will help you understand how to coach your team when you better understand what their direct reports are thinking, seeing, and feeling. If you Google “Rockefeller Habits Checklist,” you will see this is #5 on the list. What simple frameworks do you use?

I don’t know what all those gauges and readouts on an airplane dashboard mean, but I do know that I want the pilots flying the aircraft to see them. Otherwise, they’d be flying around the globe pressing buttons and throwing switches on hunches and guesses. It’s the same with change activation. If a business wants its initiatives to actually, you know, work, they need the gauges and readouts of change: two-way feedback loops. Too many transformation strategies stall mid-air because they're missing one critical piece: live feedback from the ground. 🚫 Not the kind that comes 90 days later in a spreadsheet from HR. 🚫 Not the kind that’s missing in a thousand unanswered surveys. 🚫 Not the kind that's too late, showing up in exit interviews from disgruntled employees already moving on to greener pastures. I’m talking about real, instant, interactive, informal feedback. The kind that can be used to course-correct in real time. I call this the “Triple I” strategy: Instant  Interactive  Informal Here's the thing about feedback: 🧭 It’s a compass. It surfaces what people are thinking right now — what they’re confused about, excited by, or flat-out resisting. 📈 It’s a growth engine. It helps teams learn faster and build smarter next time. If they already know that job security is a major concern for one group, why go through the pain of rediscovering that from scratch during the next initiative? 🧠 It’s organizational memory. A well-run feedback system captures insights that can be used again and again. No need to keep asking the same questions if the answers have already been documented. But here’s the challenge: Most companies don’t have the time, tools, or energy to conduct 1:1s, focus groups, and in-person interviews across tens of thousands of people. And survey fatigue is real. You can only send so many Surveymonkey forms before people start auto-clicking “neutral.” Instead, tap into an activity people already do several times every day: interacting with content. When change comms or capability building initiatives are embedded into a change activation platform with built-in interactive functionality, something magical is unlocked: ✅ Questions get asked  ✅ Concerns are shared  ✅ Colleagues respond to each other  ✅ Change champions emerge organically  ✅ A real-time pulse on what is and isn't resonating emerges  Even better? The data is captured automatically. Comment data becomes reports visualized in-platform with sentiment analysis layered on top. Visibility into what’s trending by audience, location, and job level — across the entire organization — without running a single survey. Access to 24/7, large-scale feedback *that doesn’t feel like feedback.* No forms. No follow-ups. Just natural interaction with change content and powerful data to guide your next move. That’s the kind of loop that fuels real agility and speed. Because strategy without feedback isn’t agile - it’s flying blind. 

Want to build trust & transparency in your team? Start with 360-degree feedback: At work, nothing matters more than trust & honesty. 360-degree feedback is a (fantastic) way to do this. I’ve seen it: -Boost performance -Increase collaboration -Improve team dynamics -Create a happy work culture 360-degree feedback lets everyone share their thoughts. It makes employees feel important & brings teams closer together. Here’s a step-by-step blueprint to start using 360-degree feedback: 1. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 What do you want to achieve? Better Communication? -360-degree feedback helps employees talk about hard topics. -This increases happiness & reduces the chances of exit. Find Skill Gaps? -When you locate skill gaps you can help employees improve at their jobs. -Getting feedback helps you locate missing skills. Boost Morale? -Employees are happier & more engaged when they see changes from THEIR feedback. 2. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 Pick a feedback tool that’s easy to use! Choose tools that are simple & match your needs. Options include: - Interviews - Focus groups - Online surveys Make sure the tools cover what you want to assess & are reliable. 3. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 Teach your team how to give (& receive) feedback. -This includes learning how to give & receive feedback the right way. -You should stress honesty & respect via feedback to build trust. -Training helps ensure feedback is useful. 4. 𝗘𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘆 Make the process anonymous to get honest feedback. - Find what works best for your team. - Anonymity fosters (honest) feedback without fear of trouble. - Anonymity encourages honesty, but being open can build trust. 5. 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 & 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 Get feedback from different sources & look for patterns. -Gather feedback from coworkers, team members, & bosses for a complete picture. Looking at feedback helps find patterns & areas to improve. 6. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 Share feedback in a way that helps. -Highlight both strengths & areas to improve so employees understand their performance completely. -Give feedback that helps people grow, don't point out mistakes. -Encourage improvement. 7. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗨𝗽 Have a plan to follow up on the feedback. -Regular follow-ups show your company cares about feedback (this builds trust & engagement). -Create & track plans based on feedback to ensure it leads to (real) improvements. 𝗧𝗟𝗗𝗥 360-degree feedback builds trust & honesty. Follow these steps: 1. Set clear goals 2. Choose the right tools 3. Train your team 4. Ensure anonymity 5. Collect & analyze feedback 6. Provide helpful feedback 7. Follow up Are you ready to use 360-degree feedback to build trust & honesty?

Communication gaps and weak feedback loops hurt business success. [Client Case Study] A large hospital network noticed declining patient satisfaction scores. Even with state-of-the-art facilities and technology, patients reported feeling unheard, frustrated, and confused about their care plans. The executive team assumed the problem was with staff training or outdated workflows. ‼️ Mistake: Relying on high-level reports and not direct frontline feedback. Nurses, doctors, and administrative staff communicate differently based on their backgrounds, generations, and roles. - Senior physicians prefer face-to-face or email communication - Younger nurses and tech staff rely on instant messaging and digital dashboards - Patients (especially elderly ones) need clear verbal explanations, but many received rushed instructions or digital paperwork ‼️ Mistake: Differences weren't acknowledged and crucial patient information was lost, leading to errors, frustration, and decreased trust. Frontline staff experienced communication challenges daily but lacked a way to share them with leadership in a meaningful way. ❌️ Reporting structures were too slow or ineffective. Feedback was either ignored, filtered through multiple levels of management, or only addressed after major complaints. ❌️ Executives made decisions based on outdated assumptions. They focused on training programs instead of fixing communication systems. ❌️ Systemic decline Employee burnout increased as staff struggled with inefficient systems. Patient satisfaction declined, leading to lower hospital ratings and reimbursement penalties. Staff turnover rose, increasing costs for recruitment and training. 💡 The Solution: A Multi-Channel Communication Strategy & Real-Time Feedback Loop ✅ Physicians, nurses, and patients receive information in ways that align with their preferences (e.g., verbal updates for elderly patients, digital dashboards for younger staff). ✅ Digital tool that allows staff to flag communication issues immediately rather than waiting for annual surveys. ✅ Executives hold regular listening sessions with frontline employees to better understand challenges before making changes. The Result - Patient satisfaction scores improved - Employee engagement increased - Operational efficiency improved Failing to adapt communication strategies and strengthen feedback loops affects reputation, retention, and revenue. (The 3Rs of a successful organization.) Frontline operations directly impact customer and employee experiences. This hospital’s struggle isn’t unique. Every industry faces the risk of misalignment between leadership decisions and frontline realities. Weak feedback loops and outdated communication strategies create costly inefficiencies. If your employees don’t feel heard, your customers won’t feel valued. Business suffers. Are you listening to the voices that matter most in your business? If not, it’s time to start.