Positive feedback examples for colleagues

Right now, the topic of inclusion is gaining the attention that it needs and deserves — all the way up to the board level at companies. With the area of inclusion, the topic of belonging is a particularly important focus area. 

Research shows that belonging is an important driver for improving a sense of safety, wellness, and resilience. One way to reinforce belonging is through positive feedback.

Especially with the rise of hybrid and remote work, there’s a need for companies, and managers in particular, to facilitate a greater sense of intentional connection. It’s understandable that people may be feeling higher levels of uncertainty. Given the rise of loneliness around the world, in tandem with an epidemic of stress and other negative emotions such as distrust.

Positive feedback encourages a healthy atmosphere and boosts morale. Here’s how we can do our part to create a more supportive environment for our fellow colleagues.

Positive feedback vs. praise

It’s important to remember that feedback and praise are not the same. Praise is synonymous with the concept of positive attention. This attention tends to be emotional and open ended. Statements of praise are often spontaneous and unplanned. 

Positive feedback, on the other hand, requires intention, planning, and focus. A model that’s often used to give specific feedback is SBI: Situation, Behavior, Impact. 

For example: 

• (S) Stress was high on the team last week. 
• (B) I noticed you maintained a positive attitude.  
• (I) Several of your teammates shared with me, in private, how grateful they were for your noticeable impact to team morale

This technique helps ground your feedback in clear observable details. It’s about focusing on someone’s performance rather than their traits as a person. Positive feedback is actionable and forward focused.

Praise, on the other hand, tends to be more personal, general, and nonspecific.

Examples of positive feedback

In one study, a team of researchers found that among high performance teams, the average ratio of positive feedback to negative comments was 6:1. With this perspective,we can think of the  process of giving feedback as a habit rather than approaching the action as a task. As part of a habit-driven approach, it is helpful to source continuous inspiration. Here are a few examples to get started.

Conflict resolution

During times of high stress, conflict may rise in some work environments. The ability to help resolve these disputes is a specialized skill — one that rarely exists in someone’s job description. For this reason, employees who help resolve conflicts are setting a high standard.

“Mary, the steps you took to resolve the dispute between Alex and Amanda were admirable. Had it not been for your patience, courage, and attitude of listening, we would not have met our project deadline. Thank you for diffusing the conflict.”

The idea is to demonstrate a connection between actions and outcomes and to establish a positive example for fellow colleagues.

Career development milestones

Supportive teams create conditions for people to advance.

For instance, you may notice that someone on your team has been struggling with communication, meeting deadlines, or saying “no” to projects. Perhaps you have needed to share negative or constructive feedback in the past. 

Consider the morale-boosting impact of a comment like the following:

“Jin, I noticed that you’ve been taking on less work to focus on self-care, rest, and wellness. Moreover, I appreciate how much you are speaking up about it. I’m noticing that other teammates are following the example that you’re setting. Overall, there’s been an improvement to team creativity. Executive leadership is noticing.”

Career development can be challenging. Positive reinforcement is valuable for ensuring forward progress. 

Goal attainment, in spite of obstacles

The ability to follow through with commitments is a skill in itself. If someone on your team is consistently hitting milestones, it is important to show appreciation for these meaningful contributions. 

“Minnie, you are consistently on target. Your method for navigating tradeoffs is highly effective. For instance, last week, there was a lot of chaos and confusion due to Jake suddenly resigning. You determined a path forward for problem-solving, even when there was no expectation for you to meet the deadline.”

This feedback, while valuable, requires caution. Overworking is a known problem in almost every industry, in which high-performers put excessive pressure on themselves.

“Minnie, I want to double check that you are working at a healthy pace — that you aren’t feeling overloaded. I value your well being above your output. You are more valuable to our organization in good health than burned out.”

When delivering positive feedback, there’s a window of opportunity to demonstrate your commitment and care to direct reports. 

Aptitude for leadership 

Contrary to popular belief, leadership is not about job title or hierarchy. Effective and impactful leadership takes place  at all levels of an organization. It’s about taking initiative, challenging oneself, showing respect to others, and upholding high standards.

As a manager, one of the most powerful steps you can take is to encourage more leadership behavior from your direct reports. 

“Michael, last Friday, I noticed that you took time out of your day to host a lunch and learn with some junior members on the team. Thank you. Lately, some of our early career engineers have expressed a desire for more mentorship. Several other senior engineers shared a desire to follow your footsteps.”

As one Harvard Business Review article writes, “for better and worse, culture and leadership are inextricably linked.” 

A direct report who demonstrates leadership aptitude has the potential to influence your company for the better.

Contribution to the overall organization 

Companies are, at their heart, collectives of people. At the healthiest organizations, individual employees maintain a sense of ownership over the collective vision. However, these contributions often fall out of the scope of an employee’s job description.

When employees join employee resource groups, they do so in addition to their everyday responsibilities. The same holds true for party planning, taking on extra administrative tasks, and mentoring. These contributions are known as glue work. 

Above-and-beyond participation deserves positive feedback. After all, positive feedback and passion go hand-in-hand, with both influencing each other. 

“Aaron, your participation in the women’s and allies ERG is commendable. As a fellow member and as someone who identifies as a woman, I notice your commitment to listening and learning as a true ally. I also see how your efforts translate into your daily interactions with your teammates. You help facilitate an atmosphere of compassion and growth for your colleagues.”

Humans are hard-wired to seek purpose at work. However, these efforts are rarely rewarded with financial compensation or recognition. Positive feedback is crucial for employees who are seeking to make an impact outside of their scope of work. 

Embodiment of company values

Has your company developed a values statement?

If so, you need to make sure that you have a review and governance program in place. Over time, companies sometimes lose sight of their values. Corruption also has the potential to occur. 

It’s important to remember that companies are made up of people. Upholding standards of integrity — walking the talk — means taking personal responsibility. 

“Having integrity is contingent upon doing the right thing even when nobody's watching, behaving honestly and consistently adhering to high ethical standards because it's the right thing to do ' not for any perceived benefit you will achieve,” explains an article for Diligent. 

In some dishonest, cutthroat, or toxic environments, it can be tough to operate with integrity. Positive feedback from a manager can help.

“Nick, last week, you witnessed an uncomfortable political battle between two senior leaders who were fighting over visibility — and trying to take credit for someone else’s work. Because you were working on project X, you were caught in the middle. Instead of picking sides and contributing to the conflict, you maintained a standard of composure and follow-through. That took courage, and it made an impression on the two executives who were in conflict.”

A culture of positive feedback has the power to shape company values for the better.

The psychology of positive feedback at work

Beyond helping people feel good, positive feedback is a driver of high performance. 

According to a study from Gallup, “a vast majority (67%) of employees who strongly agree that their manager focuses on their strengths or positive characteristics are engaged, compared with 31% of employees who strongly agree that their manager focuses on their weaknesses.”

Why is that? Let’s dig deeper. 

In one study of mental arithmetic tasks, for instance, positive feedback improved perceived self-efficacy. Participants felt more confident about their own abilities after receiving external affirmation.

This trend reflects a principle in multiple fields of study including psychology, education, and management known as the Pygmalion effect. Over the last several decades, studies have repeatedly shown that people perform to the level of standard expected of them. In the field of education, students internalize feedback from teachers. It’s a feedback loop in which feedback continually impacts performance and performance continually impacts feedback. 

“Students will internalize the expectations and labels placed upon them by their instructor and they will, in turn, self-fulfill those expectations, whether positive or negative,” wrote Finnley Maier during her second year as a graduate student at North Dakota State University.

These patterns are lifelong, on a human level. In the field of organizational management, the Pygmalion effect is known to influence performance.

One understandable challenge of the Pygmalion effect is that it can lead to biases — and systematic — biases, in particular. According to a Harvard Business School study, passionate employees were more likely to receive praise, and employees who received praise were more likely to receive favorable treatment. 

This favoritism has the potential to adversely impact your team. 

Consider employees who are introverted, disengaged with Slack, or neurodiverse, for instance. Given the tough time we are navigating due to factors outside of our control societally, people are also experiencing trauma. For instance, people of color are experiencing higher rates of illness and death from COVID and suffer from higher rates of chronic disease. 

The Pygmalion effect is only as equitable as a manager's choice to embrace a commitment to equity, bias reduction, and inclusion. Providing positive feedback requires a balance. 

Translating ideas into action

Positive feedback is the key to helping your team recognize excellence. A recognition of excellence has the potential to create a domino effect in influencing a company’s bigger-picture culture. By saying, “That! Yes, that!”—you’re signaling the behavior that you want to see throughout your organization.

When you see someone doing something well, call it out! Avoid saying empty phrases like "good job." Take the time to share specific feedback that outlines what the person did or said and its impact.

Remember, it’s about situation, behavior, and impact — the “why” and “how,” in addition to “what.”