Any leader worth their salt is always looking for ways to improve. One way to understand where you can improve as a leader—and where your blind spots are—is to ask your team for feedback. This may seem straightforward, but getting good, actionable information requires an environment where your team feels comfortable providing candid feedback.

This week, Kellogg professor Leigh Thompson offers advice on how leaders can do just that.

How am I (really) doing?

Recently, Thompson responded to an all-too-common refrain from business leaders: they think they are encouraging open dialogue around the team’s performance and opportunities to improve their own leadership, but the feedback seems facile.

Yet many leaders “suspect that people are hesitant to share their real thoughts—perhaps out of fear of repercussions or just not wanting to rock the boat,” according to Thompson.

There are two inertias that need to be overcome in this situation.

The first consists of the leader’s own blind spots. The second is the reluctance of team members to risk offering feedback that may backfire or create tension.

To that end, Thompson offers tips for leaders to get the conversations going.

Start by explaining in one-on-one meetings that you are committed to improving as a leader, Thompson says. She further suggests getting specific and actionable in these one-on-ones: “Ask for their advice on specific areas, such as, ‘How can I best improve my communication, leadership, or team meetings?’ This approach lowers the perceived risk for employees and makes it easier for them to share honest insights.”

To get more frequent input, shorten the timeline for these more in-depth conversations. Rather than saddling the annual review process with the additional burden of providing 360-degree feedback, build it into a regular cadence.

“This ongoing approach normalizes feedback and makes it an integral part of your leadership journey,” Thompson says.

Read more at Thompson’s Dear Professor Substack.