The way leaders provide feedback to employees can determine team engagement and company results. When poorly conducted, feedback can lead to 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 burnout.
To Alexandre Slivnik, a service excellence specialist and vice president of the Brazilian Training and Development Association (ABTD), says it’s time to rethink this model and adopt a culture that values positive behaviors. He argues that the most common practice—pointing out only what needs to be corrected—can actually compromise team engagement and impact the company’s bottom line..
“The most effective feedback is that which expands on what’s 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 an approach known as feedforward , which consists of 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 focus more on successes than mistakes. And, of course, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t point out what needs improvement. But when there’s a balance—with a predominance of positive feedback—employees feel more confident listening to suggestions and growing from them,” he points out.
Positive reinforcement as a development strategy
A common example, according to the expert, is an employee who provides excellent customer service 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. Ideally, the employee should highlight what went well—such as their communication style, attentiveness, or clarity of explanation. When the praise is specific and timely, it tends to be repeated,” he states.
Slivnik emphasizes that the goal isn’t to avoid corrective feedback, but to build an environment where recognition is the starting point. “When employees constantly hear only what they need to correct, they tend to withdraw. But if positive feedback is more frequent, they’ll better absorb any suggestions for improvement,” he states.
Fostering trust and a culture of recognition
Data from a Gallup survey indicates that employees who receive frequent recognition are twice as likely to describe their team as excellent and are up to three times more engaged at work. The same research shows that leaders who provide regular, positive feedback contribute to a 24% increase in company profitability.
For Slivnik, the secret lies in observing and reinforcing attitudes that deserve to be valued. This creates a virtuous cycle: positive behaviors become benchmarks, and feedback ceases to be a risk and becomes a powerful development tool. “When leadership uses feedback with awareness, empathy, and strategy, it transforms the company’s climate. Delight begins within, with the team being recognized for what they do best,” he concludes.
