Embracing Data: Essential Tips for Leaders to Receive and Act on Feedback from Their Team

In our previous article, we explored the natural tendency for leaders to feel nervous or defensive when receiving critical feedback. Many leaders seek this feedback through an Organizational Cultural Audit, a valuable tool for making effective changes to improve organizational culture and morale.

In this follow-up, we’ll delve into actionable tips to help leaders navigate processing and acting on the cultural audit report. This guide is relevant for any leader committed to addressing and leveraging feedback to foster a positive work environment.

1. Remind Yourself of the Steps You’ve Already Taken

When receiving feedback, it’s common for leaders to feel disheartened, especially if the concerns raised are familiar. You may have already implemented actionable steps to address these issues. It’s crucial to remember that you’re not starting from scratch. Reflect on the hard work you’ve invested in supporting your team, even if the progress isn’t always visible to others. Acknowledge and celebrate the successes and steps you’ve taken.

2. Process the Feedback and Work Through Your Emotions

You might think, “I’ve already addressed these concerns, so why are people still complaining?” or “Why do they seem to forget all the hard work and intentions I’ve put in?” This is where a reframe is needed. While feeling frustrated is understandable, the feedback you have is invaluable data on how your team perceives and experiences the culture. This feedback is crucial and should be closely examined and addressed.

However, this does not negate the fact that you need time and space to process your emotions, to vent, to complain—whatever you need—before you are in the right headspace to be a strong leader who can absorb feedback while staying cool, collected, and centered on the needs of your team.

To process your emotions, I strongly encourage you to work with a coach—someone you feel comfortable being vulnerable with, who can empathize with your concerns and still hold up a mirror to help you see multiple perspectives on the experiences you’re analyzing.

You may feel a desire to remind your team of the progress you’ve made. For now, focus on addressing their current concerns and ensuring they feel heard. Once their immediate concerns are acknowledged and addressed, they will be more likely to appreciate and understand the steps you’ve already taken.

3. Listen Actively and Openly

After reviewing the report, you may feel tempted to dismiss some feedback or focus on how people express their concerns rather than the substance of the feedback. For example, you might think, “This theme about people not having clarity about compensation is probably coming from Susie; she always complains about this, and I’ve explained it to her so many times.” When you do this, you risk dismissing the feedback and identifying the problem as a particular team member, rather than considering the broader issue.

It’s natural to have these thoughts—you’re human, and it’s reasonable to feel defensive and want to protect yourself. What’s important is to recognize that there may be some bias in these thoughts, even if they are partially true. What you need is to be genuinely curious about why your team feels the way they do, despite your previous efforts to address the issue.

Shift your focus to actively listening to your team. Arrange a meeting to share the data and prepare questions to clarify any confusion. Your goal is to ensure that employees feel heard and that you understand their perspectives.

Active listening is one of the most effective and underutilized tools in leadership. Many employees want leaders to demonstrate empathy and acknowledge the impact of their concerns. For instance, after layoffs, employees may want reassurance that their supervisors understand the emotional toll on those who remain.

Leaders must be comfortable sitting in discomfort and sharing in their team’s sentiments without resorting to toxic positivity. Need support with active listening? Consider taking a workshop focused on this crucial skill. 

4. Create an Action Plan

Turn feedback into actionable steps. After processing and understanding the main areas of focus, prioritize the feedback and develop a realistic timeline. Addressing all feedback at once is unrealistic, so concentrate on high-impact areas first and communicate your plan to the team. Include the following in your plan:

• Areas to Prioritize: For example, improving meeting relevance and efficiency.
• How and When: Outline your approach and timeline, such as scheduling planning meetings and restructuring within four months.
• Reasons for Prioritization: Explain why these areas were chosen based on their significance in the report or what your team shared with you.
• Follow-Up Areas: Share secondary priorities and timelines.
• Back-Burner Issues: Indicate which issues will be addressed later and why.

Treat this plan as a draft open to input from your team. The more feedback and transparency you offer, the more buy-in you will gain.

5. Follow Through and Continue to Reassess

Shifting organizational culture requires behavior changes from everyone, starting with leadership. Ensure you follow through on commitments and address any back-burner issues. These quiet moments of follow-through are crucial for building trust. During one-on-one meetings, ask for feedback on the process and demonstrate that you are listening. Address any new feedback to maintain trust and support.

6. Celebrate Progress

Now is the time to share the progress you’ve made. Highlight the ways your organization has moved toward addressing feedback and improving culture. However, be cautious of falling into toxic positivity. Acknowledge the improvements while maintaining a realistic perspective.

Conclusion

Seeking feedback through a cultural audit is a crucial step in transforming your organization. By actively listening, creating a clear action plan, following through on commitments, and celebrating progress, you can foster a more positive and psychologically safe work environment. Congratulations on taking these courageous steps toward a better organizational culture!

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