It’s not the survey result that defines a team — it’s how a leader responds.

During my time at Amazon, we had frequent anonymous surveys.

People managers received the results regularly, often highlighting how the team felt.

But over time, I realized — it’s not the results that matter most.

It’s how a leader responds to them.

One survey showed very negative feedback on a question:

“How often is your job overwhelmingly stressful?”

Our project was huge, the headcount limited, and the pressure constant.

No surprise the result wasn’t good.

But what our manager did next left a deep impression on me.

She wrote this message to the senior staff and other managers:

“Dear all,

Our team received very negative results on the following question:

How often is your job overwhelmingly stressful?

The large project that is ongoing, limited headcount, and other issues combined…

And additionally all of my pushing around.

I’m terribly sorry that the current situation is so taxing to the whole team.

Please let me know your opinion.

Let’s fix what we can fix.

I need your help in this.

Best regards,”

The problem didn’t magically disappear.

But we shared the stress as it was, and made small changes together.

That moment taught me something I still carry today:

Leaning in, acknowledging pain, and inviting collaboration doesn’t make a leader weak — it makes them trusted.

Whenever I see managers or colleagues take these courageous actions, I take note to revisit them time to time.