They say that feedback is the “breakfast of champions.” If that’s true, then feedback is the energy that fuels champions to perform at their very best. Every time we perform, we anticipate results—usually good ones. But whether or not things turn out as expected, the real questions are:
- What did I expect to happen?
- What actually happened?
- How close were the results to my expectations?
- What am I learning about my performance, the context, and my state?
The answers to these questions are feedback.
Feedback as a Friend
When we see feedback simply as information about performance—not as judgment—it becomes our ally. Feedback can act as a coach and even our best manager, guiding us toward growth. This mindset is what propels top performers to excel.
How Top Performers Use Feedback
Top performers crave feedback. They actively seek it out and use it through deliberate practice, consistently stretching themselves beyond their current skills. They don’t fear errors; they search for them. Why? Because they understand a powerful truth: the key to success lies in errors.
Feedback and Real-Time Learning
Feedback sits at the heart of all change. Real-time feedback is the most powerful—it allows for immediate adjustment. Learning new skills is most effective when paired with repeated practice opportunities, spread out over time, so improvement compounds.
The Problem with Organizational Feedback
Unfortunately, in many organizations, feedback is delivered poorly. It’s often:
- Infrequent
- Harsh or judgmental
- Discouraging rather than constructive
Such approaches demoralize people, making them avoid feedback altogether. Instead of motivating growth, it stifles it.
Lessons from Elite Performers
Elite athletes show us the difference. Olympian figure skaters don’t spend time perfecting jumps they can already land. Instead, they focus on the ones they can’t do yet—stretching their limits and enduring countless failures in the process.
Take Shizuka Arakawa, Olympic gold medalist. Her coach estimated she fell 20,000 times in practice. Falling on hard, cold ice is painful, but that persistence forged her greatness.
Embracing Errors as Part of Growth
Errors, mistakes, and relapses are inevitable when you’re genuinely stretching beyond your comfort zone. Expect them. But don’t misinterpret them. A slip is just that—a slip. It does not mean total failure, nor does it define your worth.
Bad days happen to everyone. What matters is how you respond: learn from it, adjust, and keep moving forward.
Curated by Danielle Tan.
Reference:
- [Meta-Coaches] 2025 Morpheus #37 RE-THINKING FEEDBACK by L. Michael Hall, Ph.D. Executive Director, ISNS.
