How to Provide Corrective Feedback with Less Stress and Better Results

Cathie Leimbach • June 28, 2021

Do you dread providing corrective feedback? Maybe you avoid it until a formal performance review.  But then, you can’t understand why your employees seem shocked when you finally do give feedback on their performance. If this sounds familiar, you aren’t alone in being uncomfortable and stressed about providing corrective feedback to enable better performance and skill development.

 

While you may feel uncomfortable giving candid feedback, studies show that it is precisely what most people want. Employees want to know what they can do to improve their performance. Waiting for an annual review risks slowing down their professional development to a snail’s pace.

 

Failing to respond to performance or behavior issues can have a significant impact on your team. When performance standards are not uniformly applied, resentment and tension among team members will occur. Often, we tend to focus corrective feedback on low performers that need the most improvement. It is equally important to provide feedback to your top performers to support professional development, increase their engagement, and increase retention. 

 

Here are some general guidelines for successfully providing corrective feedback:

  • It is given in a one-to-one meeting.
  • It is timely, as close to the actual event or performance problem as possible.
  • Examples given are specific, factual, and detailed.
  • Your delivery is calm and supportive.
  • The feedback session is a two-way conversation that empowers the employee.

 

Following is a guide to break down a corrective feedback conversation into specific steps.

 

Step One: Describe the specific action/behavior in neutral terms. Use a calm, supportive tone of voice.

  • “I notice you have missed two deadlines to provide financial data to the Project XYZ team over the past three weeks.”

 

Step Two: Ask their opinion as to why this is happening. Use open-ended questions, listen for what is happening, how it is happening, why it is happening, and any identified obstacles.

  • “What has caused these deadlines to be missed?”
  • “What do you think the issue is?
  • “What specific obstacles are preventing you from meeting the deadlines agreed to?

 

Step Three: Ask what impact they expect this is having on the flow of work, their team, customers, etc.

  •  “What do you think the result of the missed deadlines is on the rest of the team?”
  • “How are these delays impacting the overall project?”

 

Step Four: Ask what changes they are able and willing to make to correct the situation. This is an essential part of the corrective feedback process and empowers the employee to commit to improving performance.

  • “Now that we have identified the issues, what do you think you can do to correct the situation?”
  • “What changes are you willing and able to make right away that will improve the situation?”

 

Step Five: Ask what you can do to support them in their effort to correct the situation. This is an essential part of the process because often employees are unclear about expectations, their areas of responsibility, or have not received enough training and need additional professional development.

  • “What support can I provide you to help you make the changes you have suggested?”
  • “What additional information or training do you need to be successful in making these changes?”
  • “How can I help you make these changes?”

 

Step Six: Ask them to suggest a time, place, and agenda to monitor their corrective process. Follow-up is crucial. Don’t leave the meeting until the next meeting time is on both of your calendars.

  •  “Let’s set a follow-up time to meet and see how things are progressing. What would be a good day and time for you?”

 

Providing corrective feedback provides the foundation for each employee to perform well, grow professionally, stay engaged, serve your customer or client, and ultimately impacts the bottom line. Approaching it as a problem-solving exercise using the steps above will make it less stressful for you and your employee.

Thanksgiving: Beyond the Turkey and Thank-You Notes

By Cathie Leimbach • November 25, 2025
As leaders, we know Thanksgiving week is prime time for employee appreciation. But here's the thing—a generic "thanks everyone" email hits differently for different people. Dr. Paul White's research on the 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace offers a smarter approach. Just like people receive love differently, your team members feel valued in distinct ways: through words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, tangible gifts, or physical touch (think handshakes and high-fives in professional settings). That all-star on your team? She might light up from a handwritten note praising her specific contributions. Your behind-the-scenes problem-solver might feel more appreciated if you help him out by clearing his schedule for an afternoon so he can tackle his backlog. This Thanksgiving, skip the one-size-fits-all approach. Take ten minutes to consider how each team member prefers to be recognized. It's not about grand gestures—it's about matching your gratitude to what actually resonates with each individual. When appreciation lands in someone's preferred language, it doesn't just feel nice. It builds loyalty, boosts morale, and reminds people why they show up every day. That's something worth being thankful for. Curious about what languages are preferred? Click here to learn more!

The Power of Strategic Choice: Making Room for What Matters

By Cathie Leimbach • November 10, 2025
In most organizations, the instinct is to add —more goals, more projects, more meetings. But as Juliet Funt, founder of the Juliet Funt Group, teaches in her Strategic Choice process, real leadership strength lies in deciding what to stop doing . Strategic Choice is the intentional narrowing of priorities—cutting away the clutter so teams can focus on what truly drives results. It’s a disciplined act of letting go: saying no to good ideas so there’s room for the great ones. Funt’s approach challenges leaders to pause, think, and create the mental and operational space their people need to perform at their best. By removing unnecessary tasks and misplaced effort, leaders make room for precision, innovation, and real thinking time. This isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing what matters most. When businesses adopt this mindset, they replace overwhelm with clarity and regain control of their time, energy, and outcomes. For small to mid-sized companies, embracing Strategic Choice can transform busyness into focus—and that focus is where sustainable growth begins. Want a quick visual overview? View Strategic Choice: Making Room for What Matters to see how this process helps leaders focus on what truly drives results.