From Feedback to Feedforward: Transforming Growth Conversations in the Workplace

We humans have a remarkable ability to hear criticism where none is intended and to miss genuine guidance when it’s offered. That’s why traditional feedback approaches so often trigger resistance instead of growth. By shifting from backward-looking "feedback" to future-focused "feedforward," leaders can transform uncomfortable conversations into powerful growth catalysts. Hosted by Mickey Fitch-Collins, one of Learnit’s top workshop facilitators, the recent live learning event Conversations that Count Count: Transform Feedback, One Talk at a Time delivered practical strategies for overcoming feedback resistance, reframing negative experiences, and becoming a "feedback magnet”—someone who actively seeks input that accelerates their professional development.

The Feedback Problem

Many business professionals approach feedback with apprehension. What should be a mechanism for skill-building feels like being torn down, which creates resistance and blocks meaningful improvement. This resistance stems largely from past negative experiences where feedback was delivered poorly or felt like a power play rather than a partnership.

As participant Jeanne Gervin astutely observed, "'experts' have mentors and coaches and seek candid feedback. However, 'novices' may not have mentors or coaches and so they may not have the psychological safety to seek it." This highlights a critical challenge in organizational culture: those who most need developmental feedback often have the least access to it in a psychologically safe environment.

The Feedforward Solution

Feedback expert, host of the “I Wish They Knew” podcast and author of The Feedback Fix, Dr. Joe Hirsch introduces the concept of "feedforward" as a transformative shift in how we approach performance conversations. Rather than a semantic trick, feedforward represents a fundamental reorientation from past mistakes to future possibilities.

This shift changes several core dynamics in growth conversations:

• From rating to relationship
• From accountability to agency
• From power to partnership

When feedback focuses on what someone could become in the future rather than what they've done wrong in the past, it opens doorways to growth that might otherwise remain closed due to defensiveness.

Creating Positive Feedback Experiences

Feedback expert and founder of The Conflict Strategist Leslie Nydick explored the origins of that resistance explaining that our negative perception of feedback stems from assumptions and past experiences. The path to transformation begins with intentionally seeking feedback on our own terms.

Her practical approach includes:

1. Proactively consulting colleagues, mentors, or trusted associates
2. Implementing one change based on the feedback received
3. Finding opportunity in what was shared
4. Continuing the cycle to transform your feedback mindset

This approach puts you in control of the feedback process rather than feeling like feedback "happens to you."

Overcoming Resistance

Resistance to feedback typically stems from our assumptions that it will be a negative experience. This defensive posture blocks learning before it can begin.

Leslie draws a powerful parallel between feedback resistance and conflict resolution: believing a conflict is unsolvable guarantees failure and believing feedback offers no value ensures you'll miss growth opportunities. The mindset shift—believing there's value to be found—is what opens us to meaningful learning.

Practical Strategies for Leaders

One counterintuitive but powerful approach is to thank those who provided difficult feedback, even when it initially hurt to hear it, but Joe advises “gratitude, not grudges.”

This practice delivers two significant benefits:

1. It helps you make peace with the past, removing the "invisible load" of unprocessed feedback
2. It transforms someone who gave difficult feedback into a "feedback champion" who will continue to provide valuable insights

When you combine gratitude with a statement about how you're implementing the feedback (what Joe calls "gratitude plus goals"), you create an ongoing growth resource.

Become a Feedback Magnet

Great leaders don't wait passively for feedback—they actively attract it on their terms and timeline.

Becoming a feedback magnet requires cultivating three essential qualities:

1. Curiosity - Asking questions and actively seeking information
2. Humility - Acknowledging that others may have valuable insights you lack
3. Courage - Willingness to step outside your comfort zone into the learning zone

Look Beyond Traditional Sources

Some of the most valuable feedback comes from unexpected sources outside your regular reporting structure or team.

External stakeholders often have unique perspectives untainted by internal politics. Contractors, vendors, and service providers can offer objective observations precisely because they aren't enmeshed in company dynamics. Smart leaders actively seek these external viewpoints to complement internal feedback channels.

Implementation Framework

To transform your organization's feedback culture:

1. Introduce feedforward language - Begin shifting terminology from past-focused to future-oriented growth conversations
2. Model vulnerability - Leaders should publicly seek feedback and demonstrate how they implement it
3. Create psychological safety - Especially for "novices" who lack built-in support networks
4. Establish feedback structures - Regular opportunities for input that aren't tied to performance reviews
5. Recognize feedback champions - Celebrate those who provide constructive insights that drive growth

Conclusion

The shift from feedback to feedforward is a fundamental reorientation of how we approach growth conversations. By focusing on future possibilities rather than past performance, expressing gratitude for difficult truths, and actively seeking input from diverse sources, leaders can transform feedback from a dreaded exercise into a powerful catalyst for both individual and organizational growth.

When we change how we talk about performance, we change performance itself. The feedforward approach offers a practical path to more productive, psychologically safe, and growth-oriented workplace conversations. Rather than telling people what they are, it shows them what they might become. Its focus isn’t on the past, but on the future which has the distinct advantage of not having happened yet and of being the only place we can grow.

Ready to build your organization’s feedback skills? Register for Learnit’s Give and Receive Feedback for Managers workshop today!