5 Ways to Create a Culture of Feedback

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5 Ways to Create a Culture of Feedback

Feedback is an essential part of any relationship and that is especially true in the relationships that exist within a team.

The strongest performing teams are unafraid to be honest with one another, but there are some pre-existing conditions that must be present to lay the foundation for a culture of feedback.

Controllable standards

If the line is continually moving, how can we be honest with our feedback? High performing feedback teams have a shared ownership of their vision for what they want their team to look, feel, and act like. Anything that gets in the way of that becomes a distraction.

However, if teams are operating under the assumption that players and coaches, “know,” what they should be doing without it being explicitly stated, or the coaches enforce different standards for different players, the team will consistently operate in what we call the GRAY. Using the Lead ‘Em Up Green Team exercise is a great way to set the foundation right away and create a road map to success.

Praising effort over achievement

In reading Carol Dweck’s Mindset, the very clear distinction between the types of praise (i.e., process praise over outcome praise) and their cumulative effect on mindsets (growth v. fixed) is staggering. As coaches, we must continue to refine what and how we praise our players. We must teach them to celebrate one another for those same things as, “that which gets praised gets repeated.” Giving concrete, objective feedback about how things happened rather than what happened is scientifically proven to help create a growth mindset.

Asking questions

One of the best ways to get to the heart of giving great feedback is soliciting feedback from players by asking questions. More often than not, players already know the answer but expect coaches to, “tell them what to do.” Instead, ask leading questions to shape learning, just like one would in the classroom. Plan ahead by assessing the misconceptions that could appear in your practice plan and purposefully create questions to ask to deepen learning.

This is a form of feedback – you are soliciting information from your players and giving them actionable tools in return to solve problems! The best part – it becomes “their idea,” which gives them ownership and ultimately permanence over the solution to the problems at hand.

Sound bytes, not lectures

If you can’t write it on a napkin & explain it between floors on an elevator, find another way to get the point across. Encourage your players to do the same – challenge everyone in your program to economize their language to be more meaningful in less words. In doing so, everyone will tend to remain engaged as:

A) they don’t want to miss it and

B) they know they’ll get right back to the action instead of waiting for a lecture to finish.

Trust, Salt, & Sugar 

The tone used and the emotion involved in feedback, particularly in negative situations, can become a major issue especially during the heat of the moment. Our exercise, Salt & Sugar, gives players reps in delivering feedback in a constructive way that gives the receiver both truth and grace. As coaches, we should be able to model this behavior when giving feedback – we give feedback TO the person ABOUT the behavior/action.

It is important to keep in mind that all feedback stems from a trust between the two parties, and without that trust, none of this works.

Feedback is an endless loop that can cause your team and relationships to break or thrive. By utilizing these five strategies and our curriculum at Lead ‘Em Up, you can give and teach your teams to give and receive great feedback to help develop the leaders needed to win.


Are you new to Lead ‘Em Up?  We provide teams leadership drills and exercises they can use to turn their players into the leaders needed to win. Interested in giving it a try?  Sign-up to receive three FREE Lead ‘Em Up exercises by clicking HERE.


Have fun and #LeadEmUp

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The Green Room Ep. 4: Unleashing The Secret to Leadership – Why It Starts with Being Leadable

Watch the full video here: leademup.com/greenroom

What if the key to unlocking leadership potential in your team isn’t just about developing others, but about being the kind of person who is a joy to lead? In this episode, we dive into the often-overlooked truth: leadership flows best through people who are enjoyable to lead. You’ll learn the four traits of these individuals and how cultivating them can create a culture where leadership multiplies.

We’ll also explore a simple yet powerful question: Where are you today? Challenging, easy, or enjoyable to lead? Your answer could change everything about how you lead, and how others rise around you

Real Leadership Talk for Today’s Athletes

Green Room Ep. 3: Know Me to Lead Me – The Power of Connection on Championship Teams

Watch the full video here: leademup.com/greenroom

You can’t challenge someone to be great if you haven’t earned their trust. In this episode, we unpack one of the most overlooked truths in sports leadership: before you can lead me, you need to know me.

Championship teams aren’t just talented, they’re connected. They build relationships deep enough to allow for honest feedback, accountability, and real growth. So why do most teams skip straight to “calling each other out” without laying the foundation? In this episode, we will explore the truth that you can’t challenge someone to be their best until you’ve earned their trust, and that trust only comes through genuine connection. This episode breaks down why peer leadership often fails in sports teams and how coaches and players can build the kind of culture where teammates lead each other effectively.

Download the Green Room Player Reflection Template, a simple PDF that coaches can use to have their players reflect on the episode. It’s perfect for sparking discussion and capturing key takeaways.

Download here: https://leademup.com/the-green-room-player-reflection-worksheet/

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Get access to part 1 of the Green Team Framework FREE!