Anonymous Survey & Feedback 

Feedback is Gold and it helps us up our game. At least once a year, we send out a form company wide and run an anonymous survey for feedback on CEO performance.  As a leader, it’s easy to believe you have a good understanding of what’s happening in the company. You attend meetings, speak to people, look at the numbers, and make decisions every day. But the truth is, there are always things you don’t see.

There are things people may not tell you directly. There may be decisions you made with good intentions that had a different impact on others. There may be habits or behaviours that you don’t even realize are affecting the people around you.

The idea is simple: to become a better leader, not based on my own assumptions, but based on the experience of the people who work with me. The anonymity of the feedback also ensures that this is communicated without veneers of politeness or any sugarcoating. 

Some of the questions we asked are on a rating scale:

• How effectively am I leading DCKAP today?
• Do I provide a clear vision and direction that helps people understand where DCKAP is going and why?
• How much confidence do people have in my leadership and the decisions I make for the long-term success of the company?
• How clear, transparent, and timely is my communication during both good times and challenging times?
• How effectively do I make difficult decisions while balancing people, customers, and business outcomes?
• Do I create an environment where people feel trusted, empowered, and encouraged to take ownership?
• Do people feel safe speaking up, sharing ideas, disagreeing respectfully, or raising concerns without fear of negative consequences?
• Am I creating enough opportunities for people to learn, grow, and build meaningful careers at DCKAP?
• How well do I personally demonstrate the values and culture that we expect from everyone else?
• How effectively do I remove obstacles, create focus, and help the community execute on what matters most?

And then there are the open-ended questions that may be even more important:

• What should I continue doing?
• What should I stop doing?
• What should I start doing?

One question I especially look forward to responses from is: If you had 15 minutes with me and knew I would simply listen without defending myself, what would you tell me?

I think this question is important because good feedback only happens when people believe it is safe to be honest. The goal isn’t to get positive feedback or validation. 

The answers coming from various editions of this survey have definitely helped me improve my approach to communication, strategy, and to leadership overall. Some of these have led to tangible changes in how both DCKAP and I operate. For example:

• “Give equal consideration to perspectives that challenge your thinking.”
• “Create more opportunities for skip-level conversations with employees across different teams”
• “Right now, important discussions are often limited to a few team members, while others have to rely on manager updates or notes, which may not always provide enough context.”

In fact, some of the most valuable feedback may be the feedback that is difficult to hear. The goal is to understand where we may have blind spots, what I’m doing well, where I need to improve, and ultimately how I can become a better leader.

Feedback shouldn’t be something we collect just to tick a box. We should ask for it, listen to it, and use it to get better.

So this Wednesday, here’s something to think about: When was the last time you sought honest feedback? What did you do to help make it safe enough for people to tell you what they really think?

Thank you for reading.

Karthik Chidambaram