Feedback Loops are the #1 challenge killing businesses I've seen in over 25+ years professionally. From startups through $100MM multinationals, feedback loops are the Achilles Heel of every organization.
I have also noticed that the awareness of this issue is a clear indicator dividing newbies from experienced executives. If you want to progress, you'd best start looking for broken or missing feedback loops...and fixing them.
You’re going to encounter this problem at every stage as you grow. It is not going to go away. You are not going to magically resolve it.
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Discovering and Resolving Broken Feedback Loops Is A Never-Ending Challenge
As your organization grows to each different size and shape, the feedback loop issue will rear its ugly head again and again. What worked before will break and things will start falling through the cracks again. You'll feel like you're on an emotional roller coaster when a feedback loop issue is near.
Here are a few areas where broken feedback loops impact your business:
> Accurate data needed to make decisions based upon
> Client updates and communication
> Information exchange ** between departments of your own business **
> Communication lines breaking
> Spreadsheets not getting updated in a timely manner
> Projects not updated or followed up on⏤the ball will NOT be moved down the field
> Individuals becoming sulky or afraid or overprotective of their interests or silo-izing and withholding information from other people inside and outside of your organization (it happened between the CIA and FBI pre-9-11 and they’re supposedly on the same darn side…think you’re immune?).
All this and worse will happen as you strain to grow. Do you recognize any of these symptoms?
This Is A People Problem, Not A Technical Problem
And I caution you now: what you think is a Technical problem is actually a People problem. It’s no accident the very first episode of my show is about this issue: You have a People problem, not a Technical problem.
Be ever watchful for the feedback loop problem.
When information is not accurate or available when you need it⏤you have a broken feedback loop.
When people are withdrawing from conversation and not sharing the truth with you⏤you have a feedback loop problem.
When the processes and systems you put in place are demonstrably not being followed⏤you have feedback loop issues.
Again, these are the bane of organizations tiny and massive, from little startups through large multinationals. I’ve seen and operated inside of all kinds, and there they are: the broken feedback loops again.
These issues will not fix themselves.
You must resolve them. They are the #1 problem you can solve in your business, because they lead to swift, accurate communication; fast decisions; good client relations; happy interpersonal culture in your business; and more multiplicative results. There is nothing more important once you are driving revenue that you could be working on than fixing broken feedback loops.
This is an epidemic to be identified and stamped out.
And you must take personal responsibility. Your COO, when you have one, should also be taking personal responsibility in doing so. And so on, embedded into your culture. If people are afraid to speak up, you’ve created that broken feedback loop and I implore you handle that killer problem right now.
What evidence have you seen of missing or broken feedback loops in your organization?
>> Want to explore where and how broken feedback loops are damaging your organization, its performance, and your client and partner relationships? Book a call with Jason to discuss. <<