The Most Underrated Skill in Business? Feedback.

Imagine this. You take five people. They have no experience doing a specific job. No formal training. No background. Just a goal and a bit of grit.

You throw them into the deep end. Let’s say… managing a customer support line for a brand-new product. Or coding a mobile app. Or even running logistics for an event.

The first week is a mess. Tickets get dropped. Clients get frustrated. Bugs pop up everywhere.

But then something happens.

They start noticing what went wrong. They talk about it. They try again. They test small changes. They watch the results. They adjust. Again and again and again.

Fast forward three months. They’re not just competent. They’re performing at a high level.
Not because they were handpicked unicorns. But because they had something even more powerful:

A strong feedback loop.

Mastery Isn’t Magic — It’s Feedback

We tend to think top performance is all about talent. Or strategy. Or having the right people from day one. They are certainly important. But real success?

It comes from learning faster than the problem evolves. And feedback is the mechanism that makes that possible.

Without feedback, even the most skilled people plateau. With feedback, even complete beginners can become elite.

It’s the difference between:

• Repeating the same mistakes vs. refining every attempt.

• Blaming the system vs. improving your part in it.

• Stagnation vs. iteration.

The Feedback Flywheel

When feedback is built into a team’s daily rhythm, it creates a flywheel effect.

Here’s what it looks like:

1. Try something.

2. Get fast input.

3. Reflect and adjust.

4. Try again.

5. Repeat.

Each cycle adds insight.
Each iteration increases skill.
Each failure becomes data.

This is how mastery is built. Not in giant leaps, but in micro-adjustments.

As Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck puts it: “Becoming is better than being.”

Feedback is what fuels that becoming.

Most Teams Don’t Have a Skill Problem — They Have a Feedback Problem

I’ve seen it time and again. Companies bring in consultants to “upskill” their teams, or they invest in training programmes and certifications. All good things.

But if people aren’t getting meaningful, timely feedback on the job, that knowledge fades. Old habits return and performance stalls.

Meanwhile, a less experienced team, if they’ve got a tight feedback loop, will learn faster, move faster, and ultimately outperform.

Because the secret isn’t hiring perfect people. It’s building a system that helps imperfect people get better, fast.

What Does a Real Feedback Culture Look Like?

It’s not just about performance reviews or 360 surveys once a year. It’s embedded in the day-to-day. You know you’ve got a feedback culture when:

• People give and receive feedback openly, without fear.

• Mistakes are discussed, not punished.

• Learning is continuous, not occasional.

• Everyone sees feedback as fuel, not fire.

It’s also when people ask for feedback, because they trust it will help them, not hurt them.

What You Can Do Today

If you want to build mastery in your team, don’t wait for perfect hires. Start with what you’ve got and create the right environment.

Here are a few places to begin:

• Shorten the feedback loop. Give input daily or weekly, not monthly or quarterly.

• Be specific. Vague feedback doesn’t drive change. Clear examples do.

• Normalise peer feedback. Make it part of how the team operates, not a top-down thing.

• Celebrate adjustments. Reward the process, not just the result.

• Lead from the front. Ask for feedback yourself and act on it.

Feedback Is the Lever

If you want to build high-performance teams, feedback isn’t a side dish. It’s the main course. It’s how you turn beginners into experts. Chaos into clarity. Potential into performance.

So next time you're tempted to search for the “perfect” hire or the next big strategy… Pause.

And ask instead: How fast are we learning from our own work? Because if that engine is running well, the rest will follow.

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

Check out our Feedback Factor Program for Managers

→ A proven system to equip your managers with simple, effective feedback skills that change behaviours, strengthen teamwork, and deliver real results.

Learn more here or reach out directly at [email protected]