The founders of the fast-growing financial advisory and wealth management company were facing a classic growth conundrum—whether to focus energy on managing the business or growing it. While the answer looked obvious, for that to happen, they needed their teams to take ownership, working seamlessly across verticals with complete client centricity. That was the focus of our engagement. 

As you expect with small businesses, the environment was seemingly open and friendly, with everyone working hard and trying their best, but somewhere, the peer-level communication felt more guarded. In one of the offsites, we decided to take advantage of the informal setting to let them experience the power of feedback, albeit in a positive sense.

In a facilitated session, individuals were encouraged to talk “behind the back” – a phrase commonly associated with negative conversations. Only this time, each was asked to share what specific quality or behavior they appreciated of their peers. By keeping the giver name anonymous, a sense of a safe environment to be authentic and without any expectations was created. After everyone exchanged their notes without disclosing identities, what happened was nothing short of remarkable.

One individual became visibly emotional after reading what his peers had to say about him. He shared that, until that moment, no one had ever personally thanked him for his contributions. The kind words from his peers were deeply moving for him—an unexpected validation of his efforts. It was a moment of pure motivation for him to continue doing what he did best, knowing that his work mattered to those around him.

But the real turning point was for another participant—who believed himself to be the most popular and helpful colleague. He hadn’t receive a single note. At first, he was stunned. The disbelief on his face was clear. But instead of retreating into frustration or self-pity, he took it as a wake-up call. In that brief but powerful moment, he realized how much his behavior and mindset had distanced him from the team.

Over the course of the transformation journey that followed, this individual became an incredible example of the power of timely feedback. He worked to change his approach, his interactions, and his attitude. And in time, he became one of the most proactive and engaged members of the team—a living testament to how a shift in perspective can drive personal growth.

That simple exercise, which took no more than a few minutes, turned out to be a catalyst for meaningful change—not just for one individual, but for the entire team. It reinforced the profound impact that feedback, when delivered in the right way, can have on personal and collective growth.

To learn more about how we help organisations become self-managed, resilient and thus future-ready, click here.

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