The Power of Positive Feedback

In our research on what makes work meaningful, one of the most powerful, but underused, leadership practices was the simple act of saying “thank you” (Adams & Myles, 2025).

Meaningful work isn’t always about life-changing experiences or huge accomplishments. Very often it comes from small, consistent moments in which people feel seen and appreciated. Leaders who regularly leverage the practice of giving positive feedback create workplaces where people not only stay but thrive.

Unfortunately, most employees aren’t receiving the positive feedback they need to flourish. A recent survey found that less than 40 percent of employees feel adequately recognized for their work, and that those who don’t feel appreciated are 74 percent more likely to leave within a year (Gallup & WorkHuman, 2022).

That same study found that a single “thank you” once a week from a manager correlated with a 50 percent reduction in burnout and turnover. One thank you, once a week, was all it took.

Focus on What’s Going Well

Positive feedback reinforces behaviors that drive success, build confidence, and give people a sense of momentum. It’s the mile marker on the long highway of work—without it, we can lose our way. While constructive feedback is important to improve performance, it only tells us what to stop. Positive feedback, on the other hand, shows us what to keep doing—and do more of (Adams & Myles, 2025).

Humans are hardwired with a negativity bias—we notice threats more than successes—but at work, this can lead to missed opportunities to reinforce the things that are driving results (Rozin & Royzman, 2001).

In a series of experiments, researchers found that people learned more and performed better when given feedback on what they did right (Eskreis-Winkler & Fishbach, 2019). Criticism, however, often caused participants to disengage.

As Pete Berridge, designer of the ShiftPositive method, puts it: "Telling people what went wrong doesn’t give them a way to productively move forward. There is no opportunity to learn, and it feels like the work they did was wasted effort.” (Adams & Myles, 2025).

Acknowledging what’s working doesn’t just feel good—it shows people what to keep doing to succeed in their roles.

Making Feedback More Effective with the BEST Model

While a simple “thank you” is good, specific feedback on what went well and why it mattered is even more powerful. We developed the BEST feedback model to help leaders give high-impact positive feedback that reinforces productive behaviors (Adams & Myles, 2025). BEST stands for:

• Behavioral: Focus on the specific action, not just the result.
• Explicit: Clearly articulate the impact of that action.
• Strengths-based: Connect the behavior to a unique strength.
• Timely: Deliver it soon after the behavior occurs.

For example: "Jamal, your prep work on the client pitch yesterday—especially the data visualization—really clarified our message. It showed your analytical strength, and it played a key role in winning the deal."

BEST feedback just takes a few seconds to deliver, but the impact can be significant.

While leaders should develop the habit of giving direct positive feedback more regularly, they are limited in their direct experience of others’ work. That’s why it is also important to create an environment where colleagues give positive feedback to each other.

Building a Culture of Recognition

Developing channels for peers to give positive feedback to each other can scale the benefits of positive feedback across your organization.

Whether it’s a Slack channel for shout-outs or a recurring agenda item in team meetings to thank each other, peer feedback boosts both morale and performance. Peer appreciation has also been shown to strengthen relationships—those in gratitude interventions often report closer, more positive connections with each other (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).

Career Essential Reads

The Mentors You’re Ignoring

A Note to Generation Z as You Prepare to Graduate

At HubSpot, a sales and marketing platform, they’ve devised a clever way to bank positive feedback for the moments they need it most. Many teams have developed a practice of creating “gratitude jars”—at the beginning of each year, peers write their colleagues other brief notes of gratitude, fold them up, and put them in a jar on that colleague’s desk. Anytime throughout the year that that person needs a boost, they can pull out a note to experience the power of positive feedback.

These everyday practices—whether a thank-you note or a gratitude jar—might seem small. But collectively, they shape the emotional fabric of a workplace.

Moments That Matter

Nearly half of meaning at work is tied to the actions and decisions of our leaders (Mercurio et al., 2023). By modeling positive feedback and designing systems for recognition, leaders can create consistent moments of meaning that fuel their teams. When people believe their work matters, passion and performance follow.