Feedback That People Can Actually Use

"You need to be more strategic" has ended more careers than it has improved. It names a verdict without naming a behavior, which leaves the recipient guessing at what to change.

The three-part structure

1. 1Behavior: what specifically happened, described so a camera could have recorded it.
2. 2Effect: what it caused, for whom, and why that matters.
3. 3Request: what you want instead, concretely, next time.

Before and after

• Before: "You're not detail-oriented." After: "The last two updates had numbers that didn't match the dashboard, so the team debated the data instead of the decision. Can you reconcile them before sending?"
• Before: "You dominate meetings." After: "In yesterday's review you answered three questions that were addressed to Priya. I'd like her to answer first on her own work."

If feedback can't be repeated back as an action, it wasn't feedback. It was a mood, delivered.

Timing and the follow-up

Same week or not at all. And close the loop: two weeks later, say what you've noticed. Feedback that never gets acknowledged again teaches people it was a performance review artifact, not a real request.