If your strongest employee asked what makes their work valuable, how specific could you be?
Today in 5 minutes or less, you’ll learn:
Why dependable employees can end up with the least useful feedback
How to explain what strong performance actually looks like
Three ways to make recognition more specific this week
Hey there, strategic leaders!
A reliable employee handles difficult customers, prepares carefully, and spots problems before they spread. Because the work gets done, your conversations stay short. “All good?” “All good.” Then you move to the next fire.
Months can pass that way. The employee knows you depend on them, but may have little clarity about which contributions you value most, where they can improve, or what stronger performance would look like.
Good work deserves a more useful response than silence with an occasional “Thanks.” Specific feedback gives people something they can understand, repeat, and build on.
WHY STRONG EMPLOYEES NEED SPECIFIC FEEDBACK
Reliability can make good work less visible. When someone prevents a problem, there may be no dramatic moment to notice. A clean customer transition or a well-prepared meeting can look easy from the outside, even when thoughtful preparation made the difference.
General praise leaves room for guessing. “You’re doing great” does not explain whether you value the quality of the work, the speed, the judgment, or the way the person helped someone else succeed. Different interpretations can lead to different choices next time.
Attention often follows problems. People who need the most correction can receive the most detailed coaching. Meanwhile, your dependable employees get fewer conversations about their craft. Over time, they may have less information about how to stretch and improve.
Useful feedback reveals your standards. When you describe a strong piece of work precisely, you make quality easier to recognize. “You surfaced the trade-offs before asking for a decision” teaches more than a broad label such as “excellent communicator.”
HOW TO MAKE FEEDBACK WORTH RECEIVING
Name the moment you observed. Start with something the person actually did: “In Tuesday’s customer call, you summarized the open questions before we discussed the timeline.” A recognizable example gives the conversation a firm starting point and shows you paid attention.
Explain the effect. Connect the action to a result you can support. “That helped us agree on what still needed an answer before setting a date.” Avoid exaggerating the impact. A clear, modest observation is more credible than declaring every contribution a game changer.
Say what is worth repeating. Explain which part of the approach matters: “Keep making unresolved questions visible before the team commits.” This turns recognition into practical guidance the person can apply on a different project, with a different customer, or in a new role.
Ask for their perspective. Try, “What felt effective, and what would you change?” The person may reveal preparation you did not see or a difficulty you missed. Their answer can make your feedback more accurate and help you understand where support would be useful.
Offer a real next step. If they want to grow, identify one capability to practice and a suitable opportunity. For example, suggest leading the opening discussion in the next project review. Avoid implying that this guarantees a promotion or simply rewarding strong work with an indefinite pile of extra tasks.
“Specific feedback helps people carry their best work into the next assignment.”
3 Tips Of The Week
Give good work the attention it deserves.
Replace one vague compliment. Before saying “Nice work,” add the action you noticed and why it mattered. Two honest, specific sentences can be enough to make the recognition useful.
Notice quiet contributions. Look for the person who clarified a confusing request, prepared the team for a difficult conversation, or helped a colleague improve. Recognize only what you can actually observe or verify.
Use your next one-to-one well. Ask a dependable employee, “Which part of your work do you wish you got more feedback on?” Bring one concrete example to discuss together instead of assuming that no complaints means complete clarity.
Hit reply and tell me: Who on your team deserves more specific feedback than they have received lately?
Forward this to a leader who wants their strongest people to know exactly why their work matters.
Lead well,
Jason
Leader