For the last few weeks, I’ve been trying an experiment at Collegewise. Once a week, I send an email to everyone with the subject line, “What do you think?” Each email asks for their opinion about some aspect of our company, our work, and our culture.

What are we not as good at as we used to be?
What do we spend too much time doing?
Is there anything we’ve talked a lot about but haven’t actually done?

It’s intimidating for a business owner to ask these kinds of questions. I felt like I was asking for brutally honest feedback about my own child—you want to know, but you’re simultaneously worried about what you might learn.

So far, all of the responses have been honest, direct, thoughtful, and constructive.

My partners and I promised that we would read and consider everyone’s responses, and that we would respond in some way, whether that was speaking with the employee to learn more, adding it to the agenda for our big company meetup, or taking immediate action to act on their feedback. We’ve only been at it for a few weeks, and I already feel more connected with my colleagues, less in the dark about their questions and concerns, and more focused on making Collegewise an even better place to work.

It’s taken a lot of time, and it hasn’t always been easy. But so far, asking what people think—and then actually doing something with the responses—has already made us a smarter, more connected business.

I first thought of this experiment after watching “How to Get Honest Feedback from Employees,” featuring Claire Lew, CEO of Know Your Company.

Here are the talk’s key messages:

1. Ask questions in the right way.

• Don’t tell your employees that you have an open door policy and put it on them to come to you. Instead, go first and approach them. Ask for their thoughts. Show some vulnerability and admit that you don’t have all the answers.
• Be specific. Don’t ask, “How are things going?” Half-hearted, general questions will almost always get you half-hearted, general responses. Instead, ask, “What’s one thing in the past week that we could have done better?”

2. Act on the responses in the right way.

• When you act on feedback, acknowledge and thank the person who gave it to you in the first place.
• If you’re not doing something they suggested, take the time to explain why.
• Go for quick wins. When you replace the broken office chair, improve the telephone line, or otherwise act swiftly on employee feedback, it’s a boost for the employee who shared it.

If you could use better feedback from people you work with, whether you’re a manager with employees, a counselor with a caseload of students, or a student with a group or organization that you lead, I highly recommend giving Claire’s tips a try. Don’t be intimidated by what you might learn. Be intimated by what you’re not learning.