Creating A Feedback Loop For Team Innovation

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. 

Feedback can turn an average organization into a powerhouse. 📈  As a Chief Executive, harnessing effective feedback loops is key to driving continual improvement and alignment.  Here’s how to do it: 1. Set Clear Objectives: What are you aiming for? Whether it’s boosting team performance or uplifting product quality, clarity is essential. 2. Cultivate Open Communication: Foster an environment where all voices are heard. Regular meetings or digital platforms can bridge communication gaps. 3. Schedule Regular Check-Ins: One-on-ones and team meetings keep the pulse on progress and challenges, enabling timely realignments. 4. Leverage Surveys: Use surveys or questionnaires to extract valuable insights from employees and stakeholders. This data can highlight areas needing attention. 5. Act on Feedback: Analyzing feedback is just the start; implementing change communicates that feedback is respected and valued. 6. Build a Feedback Culture: Acknowledge and reward constructive feedback. When leaders exemplify its importance, it becomes a norm. 7. Use Technology Wisely: Feedback tools streamline processes, ensuring efficiency and impact. 8. Invest in Training: Equip your team with skills to deliver feedback that’s constructive, not discouraging. Master these steps and watch your organization's culture and performance soar. Ready to dive deeper into any particular step? Let’s discuss! For more posts like this, follow me @ https://lnkd.in/gnrwyZtR

Feedback is a loop, but we often keep it open-ended. Closing the loop is more than a simple "thank you for giving me the feedback." That's merely a dead end. Feedback isn't an event, it should be an ongoing partnership for growth. How do you make that happen? By applying feedback and following up with this three step process: Step 1: Change the way you ask for feedback. Instead of simply asking "what feedback do you have," get more specific in what you're asking for up front, so you can focus the other person's attention to what you need (e.g. I'd really like your feedback on the overall flow of that presentation and what made it easy or difficult to absorb). Then look for the one thing you can take and apply. This approach makes it easier to get valuable, actionable feedback, even if there are elements you disagree with. Step 2: Proactively set a date to action on the feedback and even follow up. When can you implement a first step? How will you re-connect to provide an update? Discuss that plan with the other person. Step 3: When that date hits, share the following: "Because of your feedback, I did x, and this is what I've observed as a result. What have you noticed?" We leave conversations unfinished and open-ended every single day, like strands of string dangling everywhere. It's time to start creating loops - professionally and personally. #ignitedbyjordana #feedback #leadership #communication #closetheloop