How to grow at work when your manager won't give you feedback

"Research by Amy Edmondson shows that the higher you rise in an organization, the less feedback you tend to receive, which can make it feel like you're losing reassurance. In coaching calls with my clients, we often discover how reliant they were on their leader's affirmation, and that this recognition served as motivation."

"As your level of influence increases, transparency can decrease. Authority bias can take over as direct reports put their leaders on a pedestal and withhold critical feedback, assuming that their leader knows best or fearing the repercussions of sharing a divergent opinion."

"People sometimes hesitate to give feedback, but most people love giving advice. Recent research finds that framing the ask as advice rather than 'feedback' helps reviewers focus on future-oriented, tangible suggestions instead of only dwelling on past performance."

Senior leaders face a paradox: as they advance, feedback from their organization decreases significantly, despite needing guidance for continued growth. Research shows that authority bias causes direct reports to withhold critical feedback, assuming leaders know best or fearing consequences. Fewer people in the organization can guide senior leaders on their next steps. To address this gap, leaders can reframe feedback requests as advice-seeking, which encourages more future-oriented and actionable suggestions. Additionally, creating psychological safety through modeling vulnerability and explicitly inviting input helps teams feel comfortable sharing honest perspectives. These strategies enable senior leaders to maintain access to valuable feedback despite their elevated position.

Read at Fast Company