Positive feedback can be a bad thing! 😳
I know because I used to be terrible at it: all the “Good jobs” and “Well dones” sounded like I was praising a dog for fetching the newspaper! 🐶
Here are 6 things I learnt on how to deliver positive feedback so that it’s also received positively.
🚫 “Good job!” sounds empty and arbitrary. You could say it about anyone and anything.
✅ Mention something concrete and specific that you noticed: “I loved your presentation! Especially how you managed to engage the whole team.”
🚫 The more you speak as someone’s “manager” the higher the risk of coming across as patronizing.
✅ “I was really impressed with how you dealt with that unhappy customer. You'll have to teach me how to do that someday…” People respond when you express genuine appreciation.
🚫 Not everybody wants to be celebrated publicly…
✅ …some people want more private recognition. And for some, you show your appreciation best if you bring them a cup of coffee to their desk.
🚫 It’s not about the huge achievements that happen only once in a lifetime.
✅ Science hints at a 5:1 ratio between positive and negative interactions! We need to deliver much more positive feedback. The small things are absolutely worth mentioning.
🚫 If we wait with our feedback until our next regular “performance review meeting”, the situation might just be a distant memory — for both of us.
✅ Mention it as soon as possible. Right on the spot, in passing.
🚫 Don’t make up things because someone told you to give more positive feedback! 🙄
✅ The things you mention have to be true and noteworthy.
Science confirms how powerful positive feedback can be: it increases productivity, reduces turnover, and provides a real boost to motivation and commitment.
Let’s not waste this potential by delivering it the wrong way!
