Last night, I had the pleasure of attending Scale Sessions Live: Mentorship & Feedback, hosted at Jiminny. The event brought together an all-female panel of revenue leaders, each sharing their experiences on leadership, mentorship, and the power of feedback in professional growth.

The discussion, brilliantly moderated by Nicola Anderson, featured insights from:

✨ Penny Orme
✨ Hannah Ajikawo
✨ Aly Read

The focus? How to prioritise feedback, find great mentors, and empower diverse leadership teams. Here’s what I learned.

The Role of Feedback in Leadership Growth

One of the biggest takeaways from the evening was how crucial feedback is—not just in managing teams but in developing as a leader.

Management Training is Often Overlooked

Most leaders don’t get formal training on how to manage people. Becoming a great leader means learning—often the hard way—how to give and receive feedback effectively.

But here’s the challenge: people process feedback differently. So how do you ensure it’s actually helping, not hindering?

👉 Radical candour + empathy = balance 🎯
👉 Understand motivation – What drives each person’s success?
👉 Make feedback meaningful – Frame it as a story to provide context and engagement.

Creating a Culture of Feedback

For feedback to be effective, there needs to be psychological safety—a work culture where people feel comfortable sharing openly. The panelists shared key strategies:

💬 Leaders must create a safe space for open conversations.
💬 Teach teams how to receive feedback—what baggage are they bringing into the conversation?
💬 Build trust by sharing something personal first—it fosters authenticity.

When leaders normalise vulnerability and openness, feedback stops being something to fear and instead becomes a tool for growth.

The Power of Mentorship

Beyond feedback, mentorship was a major theme of the discussion. The panelists highlighted that mentorship can take many forms—formal, informal, paid coaching, or even peer mentorship.

💡 Both formal and informal mentors provide value.
💡 Paid mentoring/coaching often works better for structured, long-term growth.
💡 Be intentional about mentorship—mentors guide you, but they don’t do the work for you.

A key point? Know what you want from a mentor. Whether it’s career advice, skill-building, or leadership guidance, having a clear purpose ensures mentorship is impactful.

Leadership & Feedback Best Practices

The conversation also touched on best practices for leadership and feedback, offering some practical takeaways for anyone in a leadership role:

📌 Celebrate small wins – Aim for a 5:1 ratio of positive to negative feedback.
📌 Give feedback in private – Avoid generic, out-of-context feedback that doesn’t help the recipient grow.
📌 Observe the room – Read the team’s body language before diving into feedback—sometimes, timing is everything.

The way feedback is delivered shapes workplace culture. Leaders who give constructive feedback thoughtfully and consistently create stronger, more motivated teams.

Resources Recommended by the Panelists

The session ended with some great reading and listening recommendations for anyone looking to improve their leadership, feedback, and mentorship skills:

📚 Books:
📖 Radical Candor – Kim Scott
📖 The Outward Mindset – The Arbinger Institute
📖 The Female Sales Leader – Coming next week!

🎙️ Podcasts:
🎧 The B2B Go-To-Market Podcast
🎧 The Founders Podcast

Final Thoughts

It was an incredible evening filled with actionable insights, inspiring discussions, and meaningful connections. A huge thank you to Megan Harber and Alex Cook for hosting us in such a fantastic space—plus, the networking (and nibbles! 🍷🍽️) made the event even better.

Events like this remind me how important mentorship and feedback are in leadership development. We’re all learning, evolving, and growing—and the best leaders know that feedback isn’t about criticism, it’s about progress.

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