Providing Employees with Frequent Feedback

Cathie Leimbach • March 5, 2024

When employees receive regular feedback on their performance, their productivity and morale, as well as the organization’s retention and bottom line, improve. Once leaders have set and communicated clear expectations and monitored employee progress and results, it is important to let them know how well they are performing.


When you catch employees doing something right, tell them so they know which tasks they are doing correctly. Their stress level falls because they know they are on the right track. This gives them more confidence in their work.

When you see that an employee is not meeting expectations, it is important to have a conversation with them, identify the bottleneck, and determine a corrective action. Employees may lack appropriate equipment and tools, not fully understand expectations, or need more training.


Nobody likes negative feedback, so few people underperform intentionally. Many are afraid of being fired if they approach their manager to ask for help.  Studies show that most employees are very thankful for negative feedback if it is followed by a plan to correct their performance, helping them be successful. So, it is important that leaders have the courage to address underperformance in a calm manner which helps the team member become a valued employee.



The frequency of praise and corrective feedback varies with the employee’s competence and confidence. When an individual is new to a task, it is appropriate to provide feedback every few minutes initially, dropping back to hourly, and then daily. As people become more familiar with a task, positive and corrective feedback can become less frequent. However, to build and maintain an engaged and productive workforce, it is important that managers acknowledge even highly competent individuals at least weekly. 

The Workplace Has Changed. Has Your Leadership?

By Cathie Leimbach • July 21, 2026
There was a time when many employees expected to spend most of their careers with one organization. Job security, pensions, and long-term loyalty often kept people in the same company for decades. Today's workforce thinks differently. Millennials and Gen Z expect to build careers—not necessarily with one employer. If they don't see opportunities to learn, grow, contribute, and advance, they'll find them somewhere else. Research consistently shows that younger employees are looking for more than a paycheck. They want managers they trust, meaningful work, opportunities to develop, flexibility when possible, and a workplace where they feel respected, supported, and heard. Gallup reports that 87% of Millennials say professional development is important to their job satisfaction. Combined with growing expectations for work-life balance and a positive workplace culture, it's no surprise that organizations relying primarily on compensation to retain employees continue to struggle with turnover. The encouraging news is that leaders influence most of what keeps people engaged.  Managers who hold meaningful conversations, clarify expectations, recognize contributions, coach for growth, and genuinely care about their employees create workplaces where people want to stay. They build trust, strengthen engagement, and help employees grow, succeed, and see a future with the organization. Today's retention isn't driven by job security or loyalty alone. It's driven by a workplace experience where employees are growing, supported by leaders they trust, and confident their contributions matter. Download our Retention Conversation Guide to discover practical ways to strengthen trust, engagement, and retention—one leadership conversation at a time. Conversation is where leadership happens.

Feedback Isn't a Download. It's a Dialogue.

By Cathie Leimbach • July 14, 2026
Most leaders know they should give feedback. Yet many avoid it. Not because they don't care, but because they worry they'll discourage someone, create conflict, or say the wrong thing. Unfortunately, when feedback is delayed, vague, or avoided, employees don't feel supported—they feel uncertain. Research highlighted in a recent McKinsey Quarterly article found that employees who receive regular, specific feedback are significantly more engaged than those who don't. The problem isn't that employees dislike feedback. They dislike feedback that feels judgmental, unclear, or disconnected from their growth. The strongest leaders understand something important: Feedback isn't a download. It's a dialogue. When leaders approach feedback as an employee development conversation rather than a list of mistakes, people become more open to hearing hard truths and more motivated to improve. Effective feedback communicates two powerful messages at the same time: I respect you. I believe you can grow. That combination changes everything. The best leaders don't simply evaluate past performance; they help employees see future potential. Rather than focusing only on what went wrong, they provide feedforward —guidance on what someone can do to become even more successful. High-performing organizations understand a simple truth: Improvement requires input. The question for leaders isn't whether to give feedback. It's whether our feedback leaves people feeling smaller—or stronger. Feedback doesn't change people. Better conversations do. Download our one-page guide: 5 Practices That Turn Feedback Into Growth Learn five practical ways to make every feedback conversation more productive, more encouraging, and more likely to inspire lasting growth. Conversation is where leadership happens