People must believe giving feedback won’t damage relationships or careers.
Feedback culture fails without psychological safety. Your first response when someone points out your mistake trains everyone about what’s actually safe. Respond to bad news with gratitude for surfacing the issue, not defensiveness or justification. This pattern, repeated consistently, creates permission for honest exchange throughout your team.
Take Action: Next time someone brings you bad news or points out a problem you caused, pause. Say “Thank you for catching this” before anything else. Your reaction teaches what’s valued.