Coaching Is the New Managing: How to Build a Culture of Continuous Feedback

When I got my first internship, I was so excited. I landed a role as a jewelry buyer for LVMH, my literal dream job at the time. I showed up ready to crush it. I always came in early, kept my head down, mastered every Excel function known to mankind (VLOOKUP, I see you), and submitted work ahead of schedule. I thought that was what being a good intern looked like.

At the end of the internship, I got glowing feedback, with one surprise. I was told I needed to work on my initiative. While I did everything I was asked, I never went beyond that. I must have looked like a teary-eyed deer in headlights. No one had ever told me initiative was something they wanted to see. I had plenty of ideas, but I kept them to myself because I thought my job was to stay in my lane.

That one piece of feedback stuck with me. It shaped how I worked from that point on. I ended up spending the rest of my career in startups and VC, where taking initiative is the expectation, not a bonus.

And that’s why I believe so deeply in real-time feedback. Not the annual review kind. The kind that actually helps people grow, in the moment. Because the right feedback at the right time? It can change everything.

Why Feedback Cultures Fall Flat

Most companies say they care about feedback. But what they really mean is they care about feedback once a year, in a formal document, when HR reminds them.

Here's why that doesn't work:

• Feedback is often saved for when something goes wrong

• Managers aren’t trained to coach, just to evaluate

• Employees expect criticism, not guidance

So instead of a culture of improvement, you get a culture of avoidance.

The Foundations of a Feedback Culture That Works

If you want your team to embrace feedback, you need to do three things: guide your team through the transition, give managers the tools to coach, and embed feedback into your team’s everyday workflow. Let’s break that down:

1. Prep and communicate for a culture of feedback

Culture change doesn't happen overnight. Anyone who’s tried to lead a significant cultural shift will tell you that. So start by prepping your people.

This usually involves a long-term communication plan, one that’s not just from HR but echoed by leadership and managers across the company.

Let everyone know you’re making a shift and what it will look like. Will there be a training program? A book club to read Radical Candor (one of my personal favorites on building feedback culture)? Are you rolling out new workflows, like feedback as a standard part of every meeting?

Tell people what changes they can expect, why these changes are being made, how this is positively going to impact them, and most importantly... ask for feedback along the process (did you see that one coming?)

2. Train your managers to be coaches

Most people aren’t born knowing how to give feedback. And most managers are promoted because they were great individual contributors, not because they've perfected their management skillset.

That’s why you need a training plan that’s mandatory for all new managers (better yet, soon-to-be managers). Give them tangible tools and frameworks they can use, like SBI (Situation, Behavior, Impact) and COIN (Context, Observation, Impact, Next Steps).

Then encourage them to practice. Feedback is a skill, and like any skill, it gets better with reps.

3. Make feedback part of the workflow

If you want any of this to stick, it has to be embedded in your daily routines. Otherwise, it’s just another initiative that collects dust in the corner.

Some of my favorite ways to build feedback into the culture:

• Space for two-way feedback in weekly 1:1s

• Include "keep doing / start doing / stop doing" in project retros

• Onboarding that introduces feedback as part of the culture from Day 1

If you only talk about feedback when there’s a problem, that’s all it will ever be associated with. Instead, normalize it. Make it just a regular part of working here, where it’s not personal or emotional, it’s just a reflection of caring about each other and wanting everyone to grow.

Final Thoughts

The best feedback I ever got was a simple sentence that changed my entire career trajectory.

Now, I help leaders create that same kind of impact for their teams, not once a year, but every day.

If you want to build a team that performs, reflects, and grows? Start with one honest conversation.

Then keep going.

---

Over the past 12 years, Faye has dedicated herself to transforming high-growth companies through strategic performance management and operational excellence. With a portfolio spanning 250+ companies backed by renowned investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer, and Serena Ventures, Faye brings a wealth of experience in scaling and optimizing organizational effectiveness.

Now as CEO of Almeshaan Consulting, a leading performance management consultancy, Faye leverages her extensive expertise to help companies align their teams with strategic goals, implement robust performance management systems, and navigate complex growth phases with confidence and clarity.

Interested in chatting more about how to develop your team?

Book a Call!