Skip to main content

Delivering Meaningful Feedback That Fuels Growth

How many times have you given feedback that felt…flat? Or received feedback that left you feeling confused or defensive? We’ve all been there. Moving beyond superficial praise or criticism is crucial for building a high-performing team. This article will equip you with actionable strategies to deliver feedback that truly resonates with your engineering team, fostering growth and improving performance.

The Foundation: Regular 1:1s & Psychological Safety​

Before diving into how to give feedback, it’s critical to establish a solid foundation. That starts with consistent one-on-one meetings and, even more importantly, creating a culture of psychological safety. This means creating an environment where engineers feel comfortable admitting mistakes during post-mortems, challenging assumptions, and proposing unconventional solutions without fear of ridicule. It’s not about avoiding difficult conversations, but about making those conversations safe and productive. Without this foundation, even the most well-intentioned feedback can be misinterpreted or ignored.

Delivering Positive Feedback​

It’s easy to fall into the trap of only giving feedback when something goes wrong. But consistently acknowledging positive contributions is just as important – and often more motivating. The key is to be specific. Instead of saying “Good job,” explain what they did well and why it mattered.

Example: Instead of "Great work on the feature release," try: "The way you implemented the caching mechanism significantly improved the application's response time. That was a clever solution that directly impacted user experience."

While thoroughness is important, keep it concise enough for consistent use. Busy leaders need to be able to deliver impactful positive feedback efficiently.

Delivering Constructive Feedback​

This is where many leaders stumble. Delivering constructive feedback can be uncomfortable, but it's essential for growth. A framework I’ve found particularly effective is this:

  • Context: Briefly set the stage. Describe the situation.
  • Behavior: Focus on the specific behavior you observed, not the person's character.
  • Impact: Explain how that behavior affected the project, the team, or the company.
  • Solution: Collaboratively discuss potential solutions or next steps.

Example: "During the code review yesterday (Context), I noticed several instances where comments were missing (Behavior). This made it difficult to understand the reasoning behind certain decisions (Impact). Perhaps we can agree on a standard for commenting complex logic to improve code maintainability (Solution)?"

Important Considerations:

  • Assume Positive Intent: It’s easy to say assume positive intent, but challenging when you're frustrated. Remind yourself of their overall contributions and approach the conversation with empathy.
  • Avoid "You" Statements: Instead of "You didn't explain this clearly," try "I had trouble understanding this. Could you explain it in a different way?"
  • Focus on Behavior, Not Personality: Avoid statements like "You're always so disorganized." Focus instead on specific behaviors you observed.

Closing the Loop & Follow-Up​

Feedback isn’t a one-time event. It’s an ongoing conversation. After delivering feedback, make sure to follow up and check in on progress. Acknowledge effort even if the issue isn’t fully resolved. Showing that you’re invested in their growth will build trust and encourage continued improvement.

What Not To Do​

To further enhance your feedback skills, let’s address common pitfalls:

  • Giving feedback in public: Always deliver constructive feedback in private.
  • "Sandwiching" criticism between praise: This often feels disingenuous and can dilute the impact of both the positive and negative feedback. Be direct and honest.
  • Focusing on personality traits instead of behavior: As mentioned earlier, stick to observable behaviors.

Beyond the Individual: Building a Feedback Culture​

Finally, remember to extend this practice to all team members, even those who consistently perform well. A truly high-performing team isn’t just built on individual talent, but on a culture of open communication and continuous improvement.

By prioritizing meaningful feedback, you’re not just building better engineers; you’re building a better team.