Feedback is one of the most powerful tools for growth, but too often, it gets stuck in the past. Employees complete their 360s, read through the comments, and walk away with insights… but they do not have a clear plan for what comes next.
That’s why we’re excited to introduce our newest feature: Feedback-in-Action: the ability for employees to create Objectives directly from their 360 feedback—with a bit of help from AI.
Instead of leaving feedback as something to reflect on once a year, this new feature makes it easier to translate learnings into specific, measurable goals that keep development moving forward.
Why Feedback Needs Follow-Through
Without a framework for action, even the most constructive feedback risks losing impact. Employees might understand where they need to grow but feel unsure how to take the first step. Managers want to support their teams but struggle to connect feedback to company priorities.
By helping employees generate clear Objectives from 360 feedback, we’re closing that gap. This ensures feedback leads to progress, not just reflection.
From Insight to Alignment
The new feature doesn’t just create goals—it helps maintain alignment over time. Employees can:
- Use their 360 feedback to identify development areas.
- Generate Objectives with the support of AI to get started faster.
- Align those goals with team or company-wide priorities through Cascading Objectives.
This means feedback doesn’t just live in a review document—it becomes part of the bigger picture, ensuring everyone can see how their growth contributes to organizational success.
Frameworks That Support Real Growth
Getting feedback is one thing—turning it into a clear, motivating objective is another. That’s where goal-setting frameworks come in. Frameworks give employees a structured way to define success, track progress, and stay accountable over time.
Here are a few considerations when creating an Objective from feedback:
- SMART Goals
A classic approach that ensures objectives are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, instead of “improve communication,” a SMART version might be: “Lead weekly project check-ins for the next three months to increase team transparency.”
👉 Learn more about SMART goals - Cascading Objectives
Great for connecting personal growth to company priorities. Employees can align each of their individual objectives with company and team objectives, giving them a clear understanding of how their work impacts the bigger picture.
👉 More information on Cascading Objectives
- KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
Best suited for roles with quantifiable outputs. KPIs tie goals to clear performance metrics, such as “Increase customer satisfaction score from 82 to 90 by year-end.”
👉 What are KPIs? - Development Goals
A framework often used in performance management that focuses on short- and long-term development steps. Example: “Complete leadership training by June and take on one stretch project this year.”
When employees use frameworks like these, feedback transforms from abstract suggestions into clear roadmaps for growth. And because Small Improvements enables these approaches with Objectives, it’s easier for individuals to choose the model that fits their needs—and for managers to support them in staying on track.
Tying Your Performance Management Process Together
Feedback is most powerful when it leads to action and drives future feedback conversations. With our new feature, employees can turn their colleagues’ feedback into clear Objectives, ensuring they are making progress towards change.
Later, Objectives can be revisited in the next 360 or Review cycle, closing the loop between feedback and growth.
Real World Example:
- Sarah Sales gets feedback suggesting that she improve cross-team communication.
- She turns this into an Objective, such as: “Host biweekly updates with internal partners this quarter.”
- Finally, in her next review cycle, Sarah’s manager answers the following question: “What steps has Sarah taken to improve on her feedback from the last cycle?”
This connected process ensures objectives are not just created but measured—tying individual growth directly to organizational success. And when paired with Cascading Objectives, it’s easy to see how individual development supports team and company-wide goals.
Ready to Try It?
Turn feedback into action, and action into alignment. Explore our new Feedback-in-Action feature today and see how making feedback actionable strengthens both individual growth and company success.
