What holds managers from seeking honest feedback?

Managers often misconstrue that asking feedback from employees means they are expecting the manager to act on every feedback and this can make the manager look vulnerable.

Contrary to this misconception, the act of seeking honest feedback from employees in itself will help employees to be more focussed as such feedback would already have been formed in their mind. Sharing the feedback will only make them feel lighter.

Managers must realize that there will some feedback (for example on company policies, benefits etc.) that are beyond his or her control.

However, when an employee shares feedback on items that are beyond the manager's control, it does not make the manager vulnerable if the manager explains that these are company policies and he or she will try to take the feedback to their skip level managers.