80% of employees who have received meaningful feedback say that they are fully engaged at work, per a 2024 Gallup survey. But as a leader, you don’t always have full visibility into the thought processes or strategy behind a given decision, making it more difficult to provide effective feedback. There may be specific reasoning behind why a certain approach was or wasn’t taken, so it’s important to leave room for that transparency and ensure that feedback conversations are not one-sided. To guarantee the strongest decision-making as you go forward, you need to create space for your team members to push back if they think you’re missing something or the solution you’re proposing is problematic.
The challenge? As an employee, the line for appropriate pushback is not always clear. On the one hand, if they accept your feedback as is, they risk coming off as complacent – or worse, not offering any value. On the other hand, too much pushback might make them appear defensive or uncooperative and even make it seem like they’re overstepping.
So, how can you help your team strike the right balance for pushing back constructively?
Note the line between opinion and logic
When it comes to feedback, people push back for various reasons: sometimes it’s because they are genuinely passionate about doing the best job possible, and sometimes it’s more about ego. As a leader, it’s important to encourage your team to regularly do a gut check to determine why they are pushing back. Is it to create solutions that lead to a better outcome for the team? Or is it simply a personal preference? Make it clear that pushback is always warranted when it serves the project goals but not when it’s an individual motive. When your team understands your expectations about when to push back, they can better identify the right moments to do so.
Encourage clarifying questions
Invite your team to push back by first asking clarifying questions about the feedback they are given or giving. This goes for your one-on-one sessions and in daily interactions as a team. Ideally, these questions would evoke an informative response and not simply a yes or no answer. Some examples might be “Why do you see it that way?” or “Can you walk me through your thought process for this approach?” Explain that asking intentional questions delays the urge to jump to conclusions and also makes us better listeners. By deepening their understanding, their replies and potential pushback can be more thoughtful, accurate, and solution-oriented.
Be aware of cultural differences
42% of workers experience stress trying to form responses in the appropriate tone, according to Forbes. And when working on a cross-cultural team, there’s an added chance that messages will be misinterpreted. Some cultures are more direct, which can lead certain team members to feel more comfortable openly stating that they disagree, whereas people from more passive cultures may be more apprehensive about providing honest critiques. And the danger here is that communication sometimes conforms to the dominant culture, stifling diversity. If these gaps go unaddressed, certain cultural differences may be taken badly by other team members and lead to internal conflict. That’s why it’s important to understand where your team members come from, what they value in a conversation, and where you might need to bridge communication barriers.
Demonstrate constructive pushback
As the manager, you set the tone for your team. So, be sure to demonstrate how to push back appropriately by engaging in open discussions with your direct reports. Before you give them feedback in your one-on-ones, make sure to ask clarifying questions and leave room for them to openly explain their approach. This way, you can demonstrate thoughtful, well-informed feedback. And when you offer your two cents in response, ask them what they think about it and whether they believe there’s something else you should be considering to convey that effective pushback requires dialogue.
Give positive reinforcement
If you want your team to feel comfortable pushing back, you need to nurture a safe environment. A great way to do this is by recognizing when your employees push back the right way. For example, if you suggest that your team member change their strategy for completing a project, but realize through conversations that they tried something similar and it didn’t work for specific reasons, commend their preparedness and approach. By calling out these moments, you send the message to your team that their voices matter, and being consistent in your communication on this subject will help maintain trust and engagement.
