One of the most expensive things in a growing business is feedback that never gets given.
Owners usually notice the symptom.
“My managers aren’t coaching their people.”
The common diagnosis is that managers need more training or need to have tougher conversations.
Maybe.
But I’ve noticed something else.
Some employees make feedback incredibly expensive to give.
Every conversation turns into explaining.
- Defending.
- Negotiating.
- Revisiting the same issue a week later.
After enough of those interactions, even good managers start avoiding small coaching moments because they know they’ll become big conversations.
The result isn’t just less feedback.
Small problems become performance problems.
Performance problems become turnover.
Then we tell ourselves we have a hiring problem.
The businesses I’ve seen build strong feedback cultures don’t just teach managers how to coach.
They create an expectation that feedback is something everyone is responsible for making productive.
The best employees don’t just accept feedback.
They make it easy for others to give.
That changes the behavior of every manager around them.
So here’s what’s worth examining: Right now, in your business, how much effort does it take a manager to give honest feedback? Not in theory. In reality—with the actual people on your team.
If the answer is “a lot,” you don’t have a coaching problem.
You have an expectation problem.