Engage Your Employees with Conversational Feedback

Cathie Leimbach • February 15, 2022

Conversational feedback is very effective at improving employee engagement. Yet, leaders often give their employees too little helpful feedback. When we rarely catch our team members doing things right and acknowledge their positive contributions, they aren’t sure if they are meeting expectations. And, when we don’t let them know what we wish them to do differently, how are they to realize improvement is required?


Even when we provide feedback, we not be encouraging them to repeat positive behaviors and to work towards improving their performance in weaker areas. Managers may tell employees they did a good job assisting customer Jones but if the feedback isn’t specific the employee doesn’t know which aspects of their customer interaction should be repeated and may not realize the positive impact of quality customer service. On the other hand, when employees don’t meet our expectations, if they don’t realize there is a need for improvement and don’t ‘hear’ and internalize our suggestions for improvement, they likely won’t become reliable high performers.


We are seven times as likely to remember something we say than something we just heard. Also, we have to hear, see, or say information several times before we will act on it. Therefore, when leaders and their employees have conversations about the team member’s performance, good performance gets repeated and areas that need improvement get addressed.


Let’s explore what conversational feedback looks like. Positive feedback has the most impact when it is shared in a live conversation. In-person is ideal with a video call or phone call being next best. The leader’s tone and body language tell the employee if their manager is simply going through the motions of showing appreciation or if her thank you is authentic. Only heart-felt thanks spurs an employee to make a habit of doing quality work. The most effective positive feedback is expressed promptly after the good work is noticed, names the specific behavior that is appreciated, and shares the impact of the employee’s action.


Highly effective corrective action involves two-way collaborative conversation. The manager briefly and calmly states the action or behavior that failed to meet expectations. Then he asks the employee questions to encourage self-realization about what caused the unfavorable situation and the impact this has on the people involved and on the organization. The employee is asked to suggest ways to correct the situation and is provided the support needed to improve performance. When the manager and the employee develop corrective action plans together the employee has a better understanding of what is expected and is usually more motivated to address the challenge at hand.


When employees feel that their good performance is valued and receive support to overcome their challenges, they become more engaged, increasing their satisfaction and the company’s success. Conversational feedback is the foundation of win/win/win workplace experiences, increasing employee morale, customer satisfaction, and company results. 


What can you do this month to develop your conversational feedback skills? You may be interested in enhancing your leadership skills through Conversational Management™.   

4 Leadership Behaviors That Drive Trust, Performance, and Accountability

By Cathie Leimbach • March 31, 2026
Most leaders don’t struggle because they lack knowledge. They struggle because leadership opportunities show up in daily conversations —and those moments are easy to miss. The difference between average and high-performing teams often comes down to four leadership behaviors: 1. Build Trust Through Everyday Conversations Trust is built in small moments. Listen to concerns Ask thoughtful questions Follow through Address issues quickly and respectfully 🤝 Trust grows through consistent, everyday conversations. 2. Reinforce What Good Looks Like People repeat what gets recognized. Be specific: “I appreciated how you handled that client issue quickly—that made a difference.” 🔒 Clarity + recognition = stronger performance. 3. Address Problems Early—Kindly and Clearly Avoiding issues creates bigger ones. Keep it simple: What was expected? What happened? What needs to change? 👥 Clear, timely conversations reduce drama and improve results. 4. Support People So They Can Succeed Your role is to help your team succeed. Clarify priorities Remove obstacles Provide resources Coach progress 🔍 When people have clarity and support, performance follows. The Real Lever: Conversations None of this requires new systems. It happens in everyday interactions— 1:1s, quick check-ins, and follow-ups. Better conversations → better results. Quick Reflection Which one would make the biggest difference for you right now? Build trust Reinforce performance Address problems early Support success 👉 Join our next 60-minute Leadership Conversation – Inspiring Employee Performance on Monday, April 6, at 3:00 pm ET. Not a webinar. A working session with other leaders looking at what’s actually happening on their teams—and how small shifts in daily conversations change performance fast. If you're curious what even a 10% shift in consistency could look like for your team… this is a good place to start.

Three Small Shifts That Change Everything

By Cathie Leimbach • March 24, 2026
You don’t need to make big changes in your leadership practices to get better results. Often, it’s small shifts in everyday leadership conversations that quietly change how work gets done. Here are three that work:  1. Make priorities clear Start meetings by stating current priorities. That creates focus right away and helps conversations stay on topic. 2. Ask instead of solve Instead of answering an employee’s questions, ask, “What are your suggestions?” Such questions encourage employee thinking and stronger follow-through. 3. Hold short monthly one-on-one check-ins Meeting with each employee one-on-one allows the regular review of goals, progress, and obstacles. These short conversations surface issues early and keep everyone aligned. These small habits keep teams steady and focused. Your challenge this month: Pick one shift and try it. Notice what changes in clarity, buy-in, or accountability. Sometimes the difference between teams that struggle and teams that move smoothly comes down to a few simple leadership conversations happening consistently. 👉 Join our 60-minute Leadership Conversation on March 30th at 3:00 PM to see how small shifts in everyday leadership conversations can quickly improve clarity, ownership, and results.