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Becky (not her real name) just completed a project she was very proud of. She poured her heart and soul into the work, and countless hours. Was it perfect? No. Was it solid? Yes. When Becky went to meet with her boss to discuss the project and how to improve it for next year, the only words she got were “Good job. You’re doing fine. Keep it up.”
Becky nods politely and walks away. She knows absolutely nothing about what to keep up or what to improve. Despite decades of leadership training and feedback workshops, executives often default to vague praise like “good job.”
Feedback isn’t about kindness. It’s about clarity. Without clarity, no one grows, and nothing improves.
We’re thinking about feedback all wrong. Instead of thinking of it as critique, consider it as ideas for the future. It’s not about negating the work you’ve done, but considering how to make it bigger, bolder, stronger for the next round. The first is depleting; the second is inspiring.
Employees crave good feedback, and according to Gallup, it leads to better engagement at work. The human brain treats feedback as both a reward and a threat; vague feedback provides neither certainty nor safety. When feedback is specific and future-focused, it reduces ambiguity and increases motivation. This is especially true for high achievers who see actionable guidance.
Always/Sometimes/Never
When I run workshops on feedback, one of my favorite reflection exercises is Always/Sometimes/Never, first developed by Dr. Stephen Brookfield. This two-part exercise asks leaders to write down the exact words used in feedback they’ve given or received. Then they are asked to categorize them as Always Useful, Sometimes Useful, or Never Useful.
For example:
- “Good job.” → Never useful.
- “Your report was clear and concise.” → Sometimes useful.
- “When you presented data visually, it helped the team see the problem faster—do more of that.” → Always useful.
It’s not the words but the clarity and direction behind them that determine impact.
The second part of the exercise asks leaders to write down the best feedback phrases they can come up with. Then they categorize them by how often they hear them—Always, Sometimes, or Never. This gives a visual representation that the leaders know what good feedback looks and sounds like, but they just don’t use it nearly as often as they should.
Three Types of Feedback
Feedback can fall into three main categories.
- Appreciation – Recognizing what’s working well. Fuels motivation.
- Coaching/Developmental – Focused on growth and future improvement.
- Evaluation – Clarifies where someone stands relative to expectations.
The best leaders balance appreciation, development, and evaluation, and great leaders consciously choose which type of feedback to use and why. While most people default to appreciation, growth happens when coaching feedback is added.
For feedback to be effective, it should be:
- Specific – Names the behavior.
- Future-focused – Offers a next step.
- Actionable – Can be practiced immediately.
From Vague to Valuable
Instead of giving benign feedback that is not value-added, consider giving more details and tying it to an action or behavior. For example:
- “Good job” → “The way you summarized complex data helped everyone make faster decisions.”
- “Be more professional” → “Try opening the meeting by outlining objectives; it signals preparation and authority and lets attendees know you are in full command of the data you are presenting.”
Too often, we think of feedback as addressing what we did wrong. We need to shift our mindset to that of elite athletes. They know that the tiniest morsel of feedback can make the difference between standing on top of the podium or off it. When we trade “good job” for good guidance, we don’t just improve performance–we build trust, confidence, and continuous growth.
