10/06/2025

How to Give Feedback That Boosts Employee Morale

The art of giving feedback starts with asking questions

It’s a common gripe that most bosses could be better at offering feedback — and not fumble it. But there’s another type of feedback fumble that drives employees round the bend — being bad at receiving feedback. While bosses are often saddled with the official duty of offering feedback to their employees, they are certainly not the only ones with opinions. Employees also have observations and ideas on how to improve processes. They have feedback to offer as well, but the boss may never ask for it — and that is a fumble.

If the boss does ask, perhaps they aren't really open to it and become defensive. Or maybe they ask, seem open to it, but then fail to do anything differently. The truth is that bosses benefit from feedback just as much (or more) than others, because they potentially influence more people. That means their positive traits have more benefits, and their errors do more damage. Additionally, managers often deal with a broader range of people, making their jobs more challenging. Bosses would benefit from all the help they can get.

However, another truth is that bosses are humans too, so all the reasons employees resist feedback apply just as readily to bosses. We don’t want to look foolish. We want our team to respect us. All that stuff about bits of your self-worth being bound up in your professional accomplishments — it all still applies.

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