31 January 2025
Culture starts with leadership. Leaders deliver values, set the people strategy, and shape the culture. Many leaders wonder how to create collaborative environments, especially with global, dispersed teams. One key to a feedback culture is to model the change you want to see. If you want more collaboration, demonstrate it by collaborating at all levels. If you want more feedback within your team, ask people for feedback on your own performance.
There are easy ways to foster a feedback culture that are practical and engaging. Regular ‘check-ins’ and feedback in real-time, as well as more formalised approaches to performance management, can all play a part. Companies that decide to be more intentional can implement processes and guidelines on ‘how to give good feedback’ to avoid a counterproductive ‘anything goes’ approach.
Streaming giant Netflix shared their culture deck years ago, and much of it remains relevant today, especially their feedback guidelines. Known for being “radically honest”, they set clear parameters to protect people while promoting fast learning and innovation. This helped them build a high-performance culture. Their feedback method, the 4A approach, is a great system:
Aim to Assist: Give feedback with positive intent to help someone improve. It’s not a free-for-all!
Make it Actionable: Provide clear actions to improve performance and stay accountable. Own your feedback.
Appreciate it: Even if you disagree, be grateful someone took the time to provide feedback.
Accept or Discard it: Remember, it’s just an opinion. You decide how to use it. Take it on board and then choose your next steps.
This framework can be used on top of the Start, Stop and Continue approach to delivering feedback, which many firms have adopted successfully over the years (including Netflix).
For those not familiar with the Start, Stop and Continue approach, here’s a refresher:
Start: This is the category for new ideas and actions that could improve someone’s performance and contribution to the business.
Stop: Focuses on behaviours that are counterproductive or not serving the organisation properly. It’s about recognising what needs to stop to make way for more effective practices and higher performance levels.
Continue: Celebrating what is working well and recognising key strengths.
In today’s diverse and dynamic work environment, this combined approach helps managers and colleagues deliver consistent feedback across large groups. Whether your team is multi-generational, multi-cultural, hybrid, or fully remote, this method ensures everyone is on the same page.
For a conversation on building a feedback culture, please reach out to Kerri Constable or Steve Sweetlove.



