Why receiving feedback well is a leadership superpower
The Art of Receiving Feedback Well
Most of us are taught how to give feedback — to be clear, kind, and constructive. Far fewer of us ever learn how to receive it well. Yet as Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen argue in Thanks for the Feedback, that skill is what separates good leaders from great ones.
Receiving feedback well isn’t about blind acceptance; it’s about curiosity and choice. It’s the moment you pause before reacting — to ask, What is this feedback trying to show me? When you shift from seeing feedback as something done to you, to something you actively engage with, growth accelerates — for you and for your team.
Stone and Heen remind us that feedback feels dangerous precisely because it touches identity. It can trigger our defenses, our sense of fairness, even our self-worth. But leaning into that discomfort is where learning begins. As leaders, our blind spots multiply the higher we rise — and the key to closing them lies not in how feedback is delivered, but in how we receive it.
When you practice openness — asking better questions, separating message from delivery, and experimenting with small shifts — you model something powerful: that growth is safe here.
Because the moment we stop defending is the moment we start learning.
Leadership Shadows: What Your Team Really Sees
We often talk about leadership in terms of vision, influence, and strategy. These are the visible markers, the presentations we deliver, the goals we set, the decisions we announce. But there’s a subtler, often overlooked aspect of leadership that wields quiet power: your shadow.
Your leadership shadow is the unseen, often unspoken influence you have on others through your presence, behaviors, emotional tone, and habits. It's the imprint you leave in every interaction, the way people feel after a meeting with you, the norms that emerge in your absence, and the silent expectations that shape how your team behaves.
And just like a shadow, it's always there, following you even when you don’t notice. In fact, your shadow often speaks louder than your words.
Reflect Forward: How AEIOU Can Elevate Your Weekly Leadership Practice
Leadership rarely improves by accident—it evolves through deliberate reflection.
Each week, leaders face a whirlwind of responsibilities: critical decisions, supporting people, solving unexpected problems. In the rush to keep up, it’s easy to miss the lessons hidden in our experiences. That’s where a simple yet powerful framework like AEIOU can make all the difference.
Leading Through the AI Era: Why Human Skills Are the New Competitive Edge
We’re living through a transformation that’s redefining work as we know it. Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s here, and it’s reshaping roles, workflows, and even the definition of value in the workplace.
For a long time, technical skills like coding, data analysis, and engineering were considered the safest bets in a shifting job market. They were the skills you could count on to stay relevant. Not anymore.
10,000 Iterations
In the pursuit of purposeful leadership, growth isn’t about reaching a specific number of hours or simply replicating others’ approaches. It’s about recognizing that with each iteration, we’re refining our leadership, unlocking potential, and moving closer to the impact we’re meant to make. At Inspired Iterations, we believe that “in every iteration, there is growth,” and this philosophy guides how we partner with leaders and teams. Our approach is built on quality, intentionality, and the commitment to help clients discover their true purpose, refine not just leadership skills but overall potential and capacity to lead effectively for a lasting impact.