nimble bubble Feedback Training Center: Introduction to Feedback
“Feedback allows everyone to grow in our role. It also helps establish a work culture where we can address sticking points and continually desire to improve, which leads to better performance and a sense of accomplishment.”
Case study
1 growing illustration library that you can make your own, no design skills needed
1 international team without an office and in continuous growth, going from 1 to 20 employees in 2 years
1 sincere intention to make feedback a team habit
What motivated you to start the Introduction to Feedback program in your organization?
Knowing how to give and receive feedback is at the heart of a healthy corporate culture. It's an essential tool for everyone, and I wanted to ensure that all team members would start with the same basics. I started with ten managers who completed the Introduction to Feedback training program for a month. I then prepared a parallel training for the rest of the team so that everyone could have a solid foundation.
What was the trigger?
designstripe turned two years old, and we grew from 1 employee to over 20 in that short time. So I thought that integrating a more formal feedback practice would be the best way to start our third year on the right foot! I also had several employees who started managing co-workers (we also have 20+ now) and other employees, so it was great timing.
What were you trying to accomplish?
I want everyone to feel comfortable giving feedback and also receiving it. Daily exercises allow us to practice this muscle and develop the right reflexes.
What core values were you driven by?
Honesty. It is so important to be able to be transparent between us. In addition, our team is distributed around the world, asynchronous, and always virtual, so it is all the more important to be able to take the time to give each other feedback.
Feedback is a key ingredient of trust in a team
What are the 2 or 3 main challenges you faced that pushed you towards developing feedback in your organization?
Having an international team without a physical office, born during the pandemic, is a big challenge in itself. In addition, we must develop trust between us and the ability to tell each other “the real story”. I would say that having continuous growth also contributed to having people evolve in their roles quickly without having all the tools to manage their small team, so feedback was vital for that.
What were your fears about these issues?
Of course, I want to avoid silos between teams, so having confidence in your ability to give feedback is critical for team collaboration. I also wanted to allow employees not to feel uncomfortable with delicate situations and that they do not feel supported by us.
What have you tried before that didn’t work?
Having 1:1 meetings is essential, but it becomes unmanageable for all the company members during growth. So I had to create tools available to everyone so that they could have solutions for starting to give feedback to their colleagues.
Make feedback a team habit
“The program helps me to rethink some of the ways that I naturally response and whether it's actually contributing to building the culture that we want.”
“It’s kind of addictive and I want to do more!”
“I really enjoy it. I am learning so much! I always like seeing the explanation behind the right answer.”
If you had to sum up the training program in one word, what would it be?
Concrete
What has been the most helpful for you and your team in the training program?
The explanation that follows the right or wrong answers! As well as the summary documents.
Is there anything you would like to share with other people like you who are thinking about starting the training program with their team?
This program is so relevant to you! It allows your colleagues to develop confidence in their existing abilities and refine their knowledge of why such feedback is so appropriate.
What are the key benefits of the program in your organization?
Developed trust developed
Clear explanation and accessible feedback theory
Repetition helps build the “feedback muscle” and make it a habit
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