Stop Avoiding Feedback — Your Team’s Performance Depends on It

If you’re not taking feedback seriously, you’re not taking performance seriously. It may sound harsh, but it’s true.

I’ve worked with enough leaders to spot the same pattern again and again. The best teams don’t need beanbags, beer fridges, or motivational posters on the wall. They need feedback.

The kind that actually moves the needle.

Without it? You're not leading a team. You're running a group project with no one willing to tell each other the truth.

The Engagement–Performance Connection

When teams aren’t on the same page — i.e. when expectations aren’t clear, mistakes aren’t addressed, and wins aren’t acknowledged — performance suffers. That’s not my professional opinion. It's a fact.

Gallup found that 80% of employees who receive meaningful feedback in a given week are fully engaged. That level of engagement isn’t just a feel-good metric. It directly correlates with performance. In fact, companies with highly engaged teams see 21% higher profitability.

What’s more, employees are hungry for performance feedback. They’re asking for it. According to PwC, nearly 60% of employees want feedback at least weekly, and for those under 30, that number jumps to 72%.

The Real Reason Managers Avoid Feedback

And yet — most managers avoid it like a wasp in a meeting room. They soften it, sugarcoat it, delay it, or skip it altogether. Why? Because giving feedback can be uncomfortable. It feels risky. There's a fear of upsetting someone, damaging a relationship, or saying the wrong thing.

It is totally normal to feel this way, especially if you're new to leading people or having tough conversations. But let me ask you this: if someone on your team is underperforming and you say nothing, what message are you sending to the rest of the team?

You’re saying: “It’s okay to coast.”
You're saying: "No one's really watching."
You're saying: "We tolerate average here."

That’s not leadership. That’s babysitting.

I always say, giving feedback is hard - but so is dealing with the effects of not giving feedback. Choose your hard!

No Feedback, No Growth, No Team

If you find yourself in this situation, don’t be surprised when your best people walk.

High performers don’t hang around in environments where mediocrity gets a free pass. They want challenge. Growth. Standards. If they don’t see it? They’ll go somewhere else that does.

As for the person you’re avoiding, they can't improve if they don't know they need to. You're not protecting them. No, you’re depriving them of the chance to get better.

If you want a high-performing team, feedback needs to be a daily part of how you work. Not just to address what's going wrong but to double down on what's going right. Feedback isn’t just about correction. It’s about giving direction. Without it, people end up second-guessing themselves, filling in the blanks, or worse, checking out altogether.

Feedback Isn’t Optional, It’s Operational

So, it’s important to decide the kind of leader you want to be. Are you the kind of manager who leans in and says what needs to be said? Or are you quietly letting your team drift, hoping things will sort themselves out? One drives performance. The other drives people away.

Here’s something you can try today. It’s called the COIN technique. It helps keep feedback specific, supportive, and actionable.

• Context: “In yesterday’s team meeting…”

• Observation: “…you interrupted before Jane had finished speaking.”

• Impact: “…it made it difficult for her to share her idea fully, and the team lost momentum.”

• Next step: “Is there something I can do to help make these conversations flow more smoothly in the future?”

It’s clear, constructive, and invites collaboration rather than conflict. Use COIN to highlight both areas for improvement and behaviours you want to see more of. The more regularly you use it, the more natural it becomes—and the more your team grows from it.

Remember, feedback isn’t just something you give when something goes wrong—it’s how teams grow, build trust, and move forward together. Whether you’re addressing a missed moment or reinforcing a great one, tools like COIN make it easier to give feedback that’s clear, thoughtful, and actually useful. 

So start small, keep it regular, and focus on progress over perfection. When feedback becomes part of how you lead, not just a task on your to-do list, it stops being awkward and starts making a real difference.

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how we can help:

Check out our Feedback Factor Program for Managers

→ The Feedback Factor is our flagship program that equips your managers with a simple, proven system to change behaviours, strengthen teamwork, and drive real results — fast. To find out more click here

Or reach out to me at [email protected]