Harvard Business Review 20-Minute Manager Ultimate Boxed Set (16 Books)

Choosing When to Give Feedback

Providing feedback is not merely a hoop to jump through when the time for performance reviews rolls around. It should be an ongoing process woven into the fabric of everyday work. That’s not to say that every behavior warrants input or a response. Feedback is most likely to have a positive, lasting effect when its focus is on behavior that the recipient is able to change and its delivery is well timed.

Identify the right situations

Offering feedback can be most useful in the following instances:

• When good work, successful projects, and resourceful behavior deserve to be recognized

• When the likelihood of improving a person’s skills is high, because the opportunity to use those skills again is imminent

• When ...