The gap in feedback culture is one of the quietest barriers to growth in organisations. It isn’t about bad intentions or lack of skills, as most people genuinely want to develop themselves and their teams. Yet feedback, one of the most powerful tools we have to foster growth, often falls short. Training on giving feedback teaches people the right words to use, the frameworks to follow, the models that sound polished. But what happens next often decides the real impact. Even perfectly delivered feedback can fail to create change if it is not received in a way that opens the door to learning.

This is a familiar tension. Teams might complete workshops on feedback models and know what they need to do, but when it comes to the real world, the messages hit a wall. A colleague bristles, shuts down, or interprets a suggestion as an attack on their character. All that effort, all that planning, doesn’t translate into action. It isn’t the feedback that failed. It is the system around it. The culture, the habits, the way people are trained to process feedback.

Receiving feedback is often framed as a skill, but in truth, it is a mindset. How we respond when someone points out what we might do differently shapes not only our growth but the dynamics of our teams. Mel Robbins’ Let Them theory captures this perfectly.

We can’t control how other people behave or what they say, so let them deliver feedback in their own way. That part belongs to them, and there is no getting round the fact that people will deliver messages in ways that are blunt, clumsy, or unexpected.

The second part – the let me part – is where influence and growth lie. We can choose to focus on the message rather than the delivery, to turn defensiveness into curiosity.

In the workplace, this makes a world of difference. When employees see feedback as data rather than judgment, they stop shrinking from it and start leaning in. Instead of hearing criticism as a threat, they begin to understand what their actions look like from other perspectives. That simple shift transforms conversations from a source of anxiety into opportunities for learning and connection. It turns performance reviews, project debriefs, and one-to-one meetings into moments that actually improve performance and collaboration.

Organisations that have mastered this approach see the effects ripple through their culture. People feel safer sharing ideas, admitting mistakes, and taking calculated risks. Teams collaborate more effectively because they trust that feedback is intended to help, not harm. Growth accelerates because individuals act on insight rather than retreating into defensiveness. And when leaders model this behaviour, it becomes contagious, shaping a feedback culture that is both resilient and adaptive.

There are practical ways to bring this mindset to life. One is reframing feedback as information about actions, not character. Another is cultivating curiosity by asking clarifying questions, seeking examples, and experimenting with changes based on what is heard. Organisations can support this by encouraging regular check-ins, creating structured peer feedback opportunities, and recognising when feedback leads to positive change. Over time, this combination of mindset, practice, and cultural scaffolding closes the gap between receiving and acting on feedback.

For HR and L&D teams, the opportunity is clear. Investing in people’s ability to receive feedback is just as critical as training managers to give it. Yet it is often overlooked. Too much focus on frameworks and models for delivery can leave organisations with a feedback process that looks good on paper but fails in practice. The real lever is the human response, and that requires attention, coaching, and the space to practise.

If this resonates, it is worth thinking about how your teams could benefit from a structured, experiential approach that combines mindset work with practical rehearsal. At 1948, our work helps people develop these skills in a way that is engaging, memorable, and directly applicable to the workplace. It allows teams to experiment, reflect, and internalise new ways of receiving feedback so it truly drives growth.

Feedback will always be uncomfortable at times. It will sometimes sting. But it doesn’t have to be a barrier. When people learn to receive it well, the results can be transformative. Individuals grow faster, teams become stronger, and organisations see the benefits in performance, trust, and innovation.

If you are curious about how to help your people close the gap in feedback culture, we would be delighted to explore that with you.

Get in contact here.