Feedback is a gift. It’s not always wrapped in a shiny bow or easy to hear, but if you can embrace it, feedback will be the driving force behind creating a team that doesn’t just function—they thrive. Here’s the hard truth: most agency owners don’t know how to give or receive feedback effectively. Worse yet, many of us are so uncomfortable with confrontation that we avoid it entirely, leading to confusion, frustration, and mediocre performance.
Here’s the thing—feedback isn’t about criticism. It’s about clarity, direction, and growth. A high-performing team doesn’t just want feedback; they crave it. But they’ll only respond to it if it’s done right. So, let’s dive into how to use feedback as a tool to build a team that performs at the highest level and why it’s crucial if you want to grow and eventually sell your agency.
Why Feedback Matters More Than Ever
Without feedback, your team is flying blind. They don’t know if they’re on the right track, how to improve, or if their efforts even matter. And let’s be real—when team members feel in the dark, they disengage. Engagement leads to results, and results lead to profitability. If you’re planning to sell your agency someday, having a team that thrives on clarity and accountability will make your business irresistible to buyers.
Feedback fuels:
- Alignment: Everyone understands their role in the bigger picture.
- Improvement: Team members know exactly where and how to improve.
- Engagement: People feel valued when they know their work is noticed and appreciated.
Feedback Goes Both Ways
Let me make this clear: feedback isn’t just top-down. If you’re not open to receiving feedback from your team, you’re missing the other half of the equation. Some of the best lessons I’ve learned have come from my employees telling me what I needed to hear—not what I wanted to hear.
Here’s how to make it a two-way street:
- Ask Specific Questions: Instead of vague “What do you think?” questions, ask, “What’s one thing I could do differently to support you better?”
- Create Safe Spaces: People won’t share feedback if they think it’ll be held against them. Show gratitude when someone gives you honest input.
- Act on It: If you don’t do anything with the feedback you receive, you’re signaling that their voice doesn’t matter.
How to Deliver Feedback Effectively
Giving feedback isn’t just about pointing out what’s wrong—it’s about helping your team get better. But here’s where most people screw up: they either sugarcoat it to avoid hurting feelings or deliver it like a sledgehammer with no regard for the person on the receiving end.
The secret? Balance honesty with empathy.
Here’s my formula for effective feedback:
- Be Specific: Vague feedback is useless. Instead of saying, “You’re not proactive,” say, “When you waited three days to respond to that client email, it created delays for the entire project.”
- Tie It to Results: Help them understand how their actions impact the agency’s goals. For example, “Improving response time will help us meet deadlines and keep the client happy.”
- Offer Solutions: Don’t just highlight the problem—guide them toward the solution. For instance, “Let’s create a system for tracking client emails so nothing falls through the cracks.”
- Follow Up: Feedback is a process, not a one-time event. Check in regularly to see how they’re progressing and offer additional support if needed.
Creating a Culture of Feedback
If you want feedback to be a driving force in your agency, it has to be part of your culture. That means feedback isn’t something you do only during performance reviews—it’s ongoing, expected, and embraced by everyone.
How to Build a Feedback Culture:
- Start with Leadership: If you want your team to accept feedback, you need to model it first. Show them how it’s done by giving constructive feedback and openly receiving it yourself.
- Encourage Peer Feedback: High-performing teams don’t rely solely on the leader for guidance. Encourage team members to share feedback with each other in a respectful and constructive way.
- Make It Routine: Build feedback into your weekly check-ins, project debriefs, and team meetings. The more normalized it becomes, the less intimidating it will feel.
The Role of Feedback in Scaling and Selling Your Agency
Here’s why feedback is more than just a team-building exercise—it’s a growth strategy. A feedback-driven culture creates a team that’s constantly improving, which leads to better results for your clients. And when your clients are happy, your agency grows. It’s that simple.
More importantly, when potential buyers evaluate your agency, they’re looking for a business that can run independently of the owner. A team that thrives on feedback and consistently delivers high performance is a massive selling point. It signals that the agency isn’t reliant on one person’s leadership but is built on a foundation of accountability, clarity, and growth.
Final Thoughts
Feedback is not a punishment—it’s a gift. It’s what transforms good teams into great ones and great teams into unstoppable forces. If you want to grow your agency, retain top talent, and create a business that’s attractive to buyers, feedback has to be a core part of how you operate.
Start today. Give one piece of constructive feedback to a team member and ask for one piece of feedback from them in return. The more you practice, the more natural it becomes. Over time, you’ll create a team that thrives on feedback—and an agency that thrives without you. That’s the ultimate goal, isn’t it?