Positive Feedback

Giving positive feedback is one of the most effective manager practices because it reinforces good behaviors and encourages even more good work. Although you never want to give critical feedback publicly, you can give positive feedback publicly as a way of signaling to both an individual and the larger group of people what “great” looks like.

Here’s what makes positive feedback effective:

• It’s timely.

  You point something out as quickly as you notice it.

• It’s specific.

  Make sure you share exactly what you like about what you see or hear. “Great work!” is useless information. It doesn’t tell anything about what was great and why it was great. Try instead to point out things like:

  • “I love the way you said you’d take that on, without hesitation.”

  • “ I love how you sent us the slides 24 hours in advance to review”

  • “I love how crisp your visuals were in that presentation.”

  • “ I appreciate how you anticipated my questions in advance in that document”

  • “I appreciate how you gave your colleague credit for that idea just now.”

It’s hard to give too much positive feedback. Remember that most people can take their good and make it great more easily than they can improve an area of weakness. Leaning into what is already working is a great way to help someone stretch to be their best at work.