Feedback Is the Future: How to Build a Culture of Co-Elevation 

At Etna Interactive, we believe that meaningful feedback isn’t just a soft skill—it’s a strategic advantage. In a keynote that resonated deeply across our team and clients, bestselling author and leadership coach Kyle McDowell shared a compelling message: if we want excellence, we need to normalize feedback. Not as criticism, but as care. Not as confrontation, but as co-elevation. 

Whether you’re a leader, contributor, or partner, this mindset shift can transform how your team communicates, collaborates, and grows. This expanded post breaks down Kyle’s insights into a roadmap for creating a culture where feedback fuels trust, innovation, and accountability—not just within teams, but across entire organizations. 

Table of Contents 

• Why Feedback Matters Now More Than Ever
• Kyle’s Leadership Journey: From Burnout to Breakthrough 
• The Gallup Wake-Up Call 
• Redefining Excellence: The 10 WE’s 
• Ground Rules for Feedback that Builds Trust
• The Five-Part Feedback Framework 
• The Emotional Barriers to Giving and Receiving Feedback 
• Feedback in Action: Turning Theory into Practice 
• Make the Choice. Build the Culture. 

Why Feedback Matters Now More Than Ever 

McDowell opened his keynote with a striking statistic: you’ll spend an average of 98,280 hours working in your lifetime. That’s more than 11 years of your life—second only to sleep. His message was simple yet powerful: if we’re spending this much time at work, shouldn’t it be meaningful? Shouldn’t we expect to grow from it? 

Feedback, according to McDowell, is the key to that growth. It builds transparency, accountability, and psychological safety—the foundations of a thriving team. Yet in most organizations, feedback is still misunderstood, avoided, or misused. 

Kyle’s Leadership Journey: From Burnout to Breakthrough 

Before becoming a leadership expert, Kyle McDowell was a high-powered executive in the Fortune 10 space, managing more than 30,000 employees across the country. On paper, he was successful. But inside, he was struggling. 

What changed everything was a moment of truth: learning that the people on his team feared him. They followed orders, but they didn’t feel safe. They didn’t feel heard. They didn’t feel seen. 

“I was a leader in title, not in truth,” McDowell confessed. 

That realization triggered a decade of reflection, reinvention, and ultimately the development of his now-famous leadership approach: The 10 WE’s. 

The Gallup Wake-Up Call 

For many organizations, the cost of poor feedback isn’t just cultural—it’s measurable. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report shows: 

• 51% of employees feel stressed on a daily basis 
• 40% experience daily worry 
• 25% report daily sadness 
• 18% admit to feeling daily anger 

More troubling, 6 in 10 workers say they don’t know what’s expected of them at work. That’s not just a performance issue—it’s a communication breakdown. McDowell warns that when expectations are unclear, and feedback is absent, fear takes the lead. 

“Silence is the enemy of excellence,” he reminds us. 

Redefining Excellence: The 10 WE’s 

McDowell’s answer to poor culture and unclear standards is simple but powerful: create a shared framework for behavior. The 10 WE’s serve as both a leadership creed and a cultural contract. 

Let’s break them down: 

1. WE do the right thing. Always. 
   Integrity isn’t conditional. It’s the floor, not the ceiling. 
2. WE lead by example. 
   Culture is contagious. Leaders model what’s acceptable. 
3. WE say what we’re going to do. Then we do it. 
   Follow-through creates trust. 
4. WE take action. 
   Talk is cheap. Execution matters. 
5. WE own our mistakes.
   Accountability starts with vulnerability. 
6. WE pick each other up. 
   A rising tide lifts all boats.
7. WE measure outcomes. 
   Clarity comes from metrics—not guesswork. 
8. WE challenge each other. Diplomatically. 
   Feedback is an act of care. Silence is neglect. 
9. WE embrace challenge. 
   Growth lives outside the comfort zone.
10. WE obsess over details. 
    Excellence lives in the small things. 

Together, these WE’s set the tone for a feedback-friendly workplace—one where expectations are clear and courage is rewarded. 

Ground Rules for Feedback that Builds Trust 

Before diving into how to give feedback, McDowell laid out three ground rules: 

1. Top Nop = Tough on Problems, Not on People. 
   Focus on the work, not the worth of the person. 
2. Assume Positive Intent. 
   Feedback lands better when we believe the other person is trying.
3. Set the Right Setting. 
   Give feedback in private. Praise in public. Always come prepared.  

These rules reduce defensiveness and open the door to trust. 

The Five-Part Feedback Framework 

McDowell’s signature framework transforms feedback from awkward to actionable. Here’s how: 

1. The Opening 
   Set the tone. Be respectful, direct, and clear about your intentions. 
2. The Feedback 
   Describe the behavior or issue without judgment. Use facts. 
3. Why It Matters 
   Connect the dots to team goals, values, or outcomes. 
4. Alignment 
   Invite discussion. Listen. Clarify, don’t defend.
5. The Closing 
   Reaffirm your partnership. Thank them. Confirm next steps.  

Example: 

“I noticed that in yesterday’s meeting, we didn’t follow the decision-making protocol. That matters because it left some confusion across departments. Can we align on a plan to revisit the rollout today?” 

The Emotional Barriers to Giving and Receiving Feedback 

Even with great frameworks, feedback can be hard. Why? 

• Fear of hurting someone’s feelings 
• Fear of being wrong 
• Fear of retaliation or being misunderstood 
• Fear of looking incompetent 

McDowell encouraged leaders to face these fears head-on. 

“We tell ourselves feedback will damage relationships. The truth? Silence is what breaks them.” 

His advice: Lead with empathy, but don’t avoid the truth. Practice builds confidence. Vulnerability builds trust. 

Feedback in Action: Turning Theory into Practice 

Throughout his keynote, McDowell shared examples of how feedback transformed teams: 

• A junior employee gave upward feedback that reshaped a broken onboarding process 
• A medical team restructured shift communication based on honest peer critiques 
• A marketing group established a monthly “Feedback Friday” to normalize discussions 

Each story followed the same arc: truth met courage, and clarity led to results. McDowell emphasized that feedback is everyone’s job—not just managers. 

“The best cultures make feedback a habit, not a surprise.” 

Make the Choice. Build the Culture. 

Ultimately, creating a feedback-rich culture is about choice. Not once, but daily. It’s about deciding to: 

• Speak up when something feels off 
• Listen when someone shares the hard stuff 
• Show up with clarity and compassion 

“You don’t drift into excellence. You commit to it.” 

At Etna Interactive, we believe feedback isn’t a risk—it’s a gift. And when given generously, it’s a catalyst for growth, innovation, and connection. 

Ready to Elevate Your Impact? 

Building a feedback-rich culture doesn’t happen by accident—it happens by design. When we treat feedback as a daily habit, not a difficult task, we unlock stronger teams, deeper trust, and better results. 

When your internal culture and external messaging align, your brand gets stronger. Let’s talk about how we can help you reflect that in your marketing. 

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