Power Distorts Feedback — Especially at the Top

Introduction: The Feedback Mirage of Leadership

As leaders rise, their access to honest feedback often falls. The more senior your role, the more filtered the truth becomes. Praise flows easily. Dissent goes quiet. And eventually, many CEOs and senior executives find themselves in what Harvard professor Ron Heifetz calls "the zone of permanent applause."

But applause is not alignment. Silence is not consent. And comfort is not clarity.

At the top, power creates distortion. Not because leaders want it—but because people around them adapt, self-censor, and protect. That makes feedback more important than ever—and harder than ever to get.

In this article, we explore why power distorts feedback, what it costs leadership teams, and how to rebuild a culture where the truth can be safely spoken.

Why Feedback Fades as You Rise

Power changes the dynamic of every conversation. When you're the CEO, CHRO, or CFO, your title comes into the room before you do.

Here’s what happens:

• People tell you what they think you want to hear.

• They soften the edges of hard truths.

• They mistake silence for safety.

• They frame feedback as polite suggestions instead of direct insights.

Even well-intentioned teams begin to optimize for approval, not accuracy. Over time, this creates an echo chamber of comfort—and strategic drift.

Without real feedback, leaders start flying blind.

The Cost of Distorted Feedback

The absence of honest feedback doesn’t just affect your leadership. It warps the entire organization.

Consequences include:

• Delayed course correction: Problems surface too late to fix easily.

• Shallow engagement: People disengage when they feel their voices don’t matter.

• Strategic noise: Decisions are made with incomplete or sugar-coated input.

• Culture of avoidance: Tough conversations are replaced by hallway whispers.

You can’t lead what you don’t fully see. And you can’t fix what no one will name.

The Illusion of “Open Door” Policies

Many leaders believe they’re approachable. They point to their “open door” policy as proof. But openness isn’t measured by what you say. It’s measured by what people risk saying to you.

If your team says things in side conversations that they wouldn’t say in front of you, your door may be open—but the room isn’t safe.

What makes a room safe?

• You don’t react defensively.

• You ask questions before responding.

• You thank, not just tolerate, dissent.

• You act on what you hear—even when it’s uncomfortable.

Psychological safety isn’t a poster on the wall. It’s a pattern of behavior.

How the Best CEOs Create a Feedback-Rich Culture

Getting real feedback at the top isn’t passive. It’s designed. The best leaders:

1. Invite critique explicitly.

   • Ask: “What am I missing?” “Where am I making it harder than it needs to be?”

2. Normalize dissent in public.

   • Celebrate someone who challenges your assumptions.

   • Share when feedback changed your mind.

3. Use third-party mechanisms.

   • 360 reviews, anonymous surveys, facilitated retrospectives.

   • External coaches or advisors who gather what others won’t say to your face.

4. Respond with action.

   • Nothing kills feedback faster than silence.

   • Close the loop: what you heard, what you’ll do, and what you won’t (and why).

5. Model feedback-giving and receiving.

   • Share upward feedback you’ve received with your team.

   • Ask your direct reports how you can improve—in front of each other.

When leaders model vulnerability, they multiply trust.

Feedback as a Strategic Advantage

Real-time, real-talk feedback isn’t a luxury. It’s a strategic asset.

When feedback flows:

• Decisions improve because assumptions are challenged.

• Execution accelerates because gaps get spotted early.

• Culture deepens because people feel seen and heard.

• Leadership strengthens because blind spots shrink.

In today’s volatile world, adaptability is a leadership superpower. Feedback is how you build it.

Start With Yourself

If you want feedback to become part of your culture, start with your own shadow. Ask:

• When was the last time someone on my team told me something uncomfortable?

• How did I respond?

• Who avoids giving me feedback—and why?

Then go one step further:

• Share your self-assessment.

• Ask for reactions.

• Make a change based on what you learn—and name it.

People follow what you normalize, not what you say.

Conclusion: Truth Is a Leadership Discipline

At the top, power bends the truth. But great leaders bend it back.

They don’t assume that silence means support. They build systems and behaviors that surface the hard truths, the inconvenient insights, and the unfiltered perspectives.

Because the best CEOs aren’t just respected. They’re trusted.

And trust is built in the moments when someone dares to tell you the truth—and you prove they were right to do so.

So if you want to lead with impact, start here:

Don’t just tolerate feedback.

Design for it.

Protect it.

Act on it.

Because power will always distort feedback. But leadership can restore it.