The way leaders provide feedback to employees can determine team engagement levels and company results. When poorly conducted, feedback can generate insecurity, demotivation, and a drop in performance. Instead of serving as a tool for growth, traditional feedback — focused solely on pointing out mistakes — can become a source of wear and tear.
For Alexandre Slivnik, a service excellence specialist and vice-president of the Brazilian Association for Training and Development (ABTD), it’s time to rethink this model and adopt a culture that values positive behaviors. He states that the most common practice — pointing out only what needs to be corrected — can actually compromise team engagement and impact company results.
“The most effective feedback is the kind that amplifies what is already working well. When a leader clearly recognizes positive behavior, they increase the chances of that behavior being repeated. This builds trust and strengthens the team,” he reveals.
Slivnik advocates for an approach known as feedforward , which involves highlighting well-executed actions rather than focusing solely on failures. For him, recognizing good practices has more impact than isolated corrections. “It’s important to observe successes more than mistakes. And, of course, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t point out what needs improvement. But when there is a balance — with a predominance of positive feedback — the employee feels more secure in hearing suggestions and growing from them,” he notes.
Positive reinforcement as a development strategy
A common example, according to the expert, is an employee who serves a customer well but, instead of receiving praise for their good performance, immediately hears a suggestion about what they could have done better. “This type of response reduces enthusiasm and devalues the effort. The ideal would be to highlight what went right — such as communication skills, attentive listening, or clarity in explanations. When praise is specific and timely, it tends to be repeated,” he states.
Slivnik emphasizes that the goal is not to avoid corrective feedback but to build an environment where recognition is the starting point. “When an employee constantly hears only what needs to be corrected, they tend to withdraw. But if positive feedback is more frequent, they will absorb any improvement suggestions better,” he says.
Encouraging trust and a culture of recognition
Data from a Gallup survey indicate that employees who receive frequent recognition are twice as likely to describe their team as excellent and up to three times more engaged at work. The same research shows that leaders who provide regular and positive feedback contribute to up to a 24% increase in company profitability.
For Slivnik, the secret lies in observing and reinforcing behaviors that deserve appreciation. This creates a virtuous cycle: positive behaviors become benchmarks, and feedback ceases to be a risk and instead becomes a powerful development tool. “When leadership uses feedback with awareness, empathy, and strategy, it transforms the company’s atmosphere. The magic begins at home, with the team being recognized for what they do best,” he concludes.
