The right feedback loops create cycles in which each action strengthens the next one, making future improvements easier and helping build momentum.
These might include:
- Customer stories that resonate with other aligned customers
- Community engagement interactions that build stronger community
- Early adopter feedback that improves our services for future users
- Small wins that energise teams to pursue bigger ones
But some feedback loops work against us:
- Perfectionism that delays launches and reduces learning opportunities
- People-pleasing that dilutes purpose to avoid criticism
- Short-term metrics that sacrifice long-term impact
- Burnout cycles that deplete us and those who work with us
The key is in designing systems that amplify positive ones while breaking negative ones, understanding that it’s more useful and effective to create new virtuous cycles than to fight existing vicious ones.