Feedback Should Not Be Saved for Formal Reviews
Feedback for most leaders tends to be viewed as something left for formal reviews.
It is saved for performance conversations, quarterly check-ins, annual appraisal cycles, or those planned meetings where everyone knows that “development” is on the agenda.
In principle, this seems like a sensible approach. But the reality is that people can go for weeks, even months, waiting to hear something that would have helped them much earlier.
Formal reviews do have a place. They create space for self-reflection, career planning, goal setting, broader performance themes, and discussion about what is next.
The problem is that work does not only happen in quarterly cycles.
Issues like performance gaps, missed expectations, strong contributions, unhelpful behaviours, and learning opportunities all happen in real time.
A team member does not wait until review season to miss a deadline.
A client is not going to wait until the end of the quarter to feel the impact of poor communication.
A colleague will not wait to get frustrated about a lack of clarity or follow-up until the annual evaluation period comes around.
The key point is, when feedback is held back until a formal review, it is often too late to be as useful as it could have been.
Good leadership uses feedback regularly, clearly, and in the flow of work. Then formal reviews are more meaningful, because they are not carrying the weight of every conversation that should have happened along the way.
Formal Reviews
Formal reviews are useful for taking a step back and looking at trends over time. They create a space to talk about progress, capabilities, goals, and career growth. They also provide structure in organisations where performance conversations need to be documented and linked to broader people processes.
However, the problem starts when leaders expect formal reviews to encompass every piece of feedback a person needs.
If there is too much to cover at once, the review becomes heavier and more difficult than it needs to be. The leader may arrive with a long list of points that have been building up over months. For the team member, that can feel like a shock (and a disappointment) because they are only hearing it now. It does not create clarity, and it brings an emotional load that is unlikely to lead to a productive discussion.
The business also pays a price when important issues are left untreated. If a performance issue is affecting delivery, communication, quality, or team efficiency, the organisation has been carrying that cost all along. The review may finally name the issue, but the impact may already show up in rework, missed opportunities, team tension, or reduced output.
Formal reviews should support leadership communication. They should not be used as a storage unit for feedback that needed to happen closer to the moment.
Giving feedback in real time
Ore Feedback is usually clearer when it is close to the situation being discussed. The example is easier to remember, the impact is easier to explain, and the link between the behaviour and the outcome is more obvious.
When feedback is delayed, that link weakens. The leader may remember the general issue, but the details get fuzzy. The person receiving the feedback may struggle to recall the situation, or understand why it matters now. What could have been a simple, useful conversation can become vague and harder to act on.
Timely feedback gives people a better chance to adjust. If someone has communicated poorly with a client, missed an important step in a process, or come into a meeting underprepared, a clear conversation soon after the moment helps them understand the impact and do something different next time. It is at the heart of a ‘growth culture’.
It might sound fluffy, but it has business value:
Faster feedback enables faster learning.
Faster learning results in better execution.
Better execution means less wasted time and effort, maintains quality, and prevents slowdowns.
In most organisations, leaders are under pressure to improve performance. Everyday feedback is one of the most practical ways to achieve that, as it helps people improve and change course while the work is still in progress.
Positive feedback loses power when it is delayed too
It’s not just about constructive feedback either; positive feedback also loses impact when it is only provided through formal reviews.
For example, when someone handles a difficult conversation well, improves a process, supports a co-worker, makes a thoughtful decision, or delivers high-quality work under pressure, timely recognition helps them understand what they did well and why it mattered.
This kind of feedback strengthens capability and builds confidence. It encourages people to repeat behaviours that add value to both the team and the organisation as a whole.
Leaders who only acknowledge good work in formal settings miss valuable opportunities to reinforce performance in the moment. Sometimes, a passing comment at the right time can be more meaningful than a generic compliment months later. It shows the leader is paying attention, and it helps the person connect their actions to a positive outcome.
From a commercial perspective, this matters because organisations build capability both by fixing issues and by recognising and encouraging more of what works.
Positive reinforcement is part of building momentum, ownership, and engagement in the day-to-day rhythm of work.
The support leaders need
Most leaders who delay feedback want to handle the conversation well. They may also be unsure whether the issue is serious enough to raise.
This is understandable as feedback requires judgment and leaders need to consider timing, context, tone, relationship, impact, and what they are actually asking the person to do differently.
Leaders need the ability to recognise when feedback is needed in the moment and when a more structured conversation is required. They also need to build the skill and confidence in having brief, direct conversations that keep work moving, and handle deeper discussions when the issue requires more care.
That is why Incredible People created the Feedback In Action Challenge.
Across four days, leaders will learn how to handle the quick, in-the-moment conversations that keep work on track, as well as the deeper discussions that support growth, accountability, and performance over time.