Sunday Mar 16, 2025

E29: Nice, But Useless: How Biased Feedback Holds Women Back with Dora Mołodyńska-Küntzel

Feedback can build careers or hold them back. When it’s vague, biased, or filled with adjectives instead of actions, it does more harm than good, especially for women.

Zovig Garboushian sits down with Dora Mołodyńska-Küntzel, a DEI trainer and consultant from Punt Kick, to talk about the hidden bias in giving feedback. Why do women get more personality-driven critiques while men receive clear, actionable advice? How does that impact performance, confidence, and career growth? Research shows a clear pattern, and the consequences reach far beyond individual employees.

Dora shares practical ways for leaders to check their own bias, shift from vague observations to behavior-based feedback, and create a culture where everyone gets the guidance they need to succeed. She challenges the idea that feedback bias is only a DEI issue—when employees don’t receive clear direction, businesses suffer too.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

02:53 Importance of Addressing Feedback Bias

05:57 Impact of Vague Feedback on Women

08:17 Role of Confidence in Feedback

10:02 Confusion Created by Contradictory Feedback

12:09 Organizational Impact of Biased Feedback

14:07 Recognizing and Addressing Personal Bias

17:02 Importance of Self-Reflection and Humility

20:20 Strategies for Receiving Better Feedback

24:20 Pushing Back on Vague Feedback

27:04 Organizational Strategies for Fair Feedback