The Power of Specific Feedback: How to Guide Your Team to Real Improvement

At work, I once skimmed through a proposal document a team member (AL) had drafted and immediately felt it missed the mark. Something about it—maybe the clarity, maybe the depth—just wasn’t right. So I gave them what I thought was constructive criticism: “This needs improvement.”

AL went back, revised it, and returned with a new draft. Still not quite there. “Try making it clearer,” I suggested. Another round of edits, another submission. Still, something felt off. I frowned, searching for the right words. “It’s close, but I think it could communicate the message better.”

That’s when he snapped. Not with anger, but exasperation. “Joseph, what exactly should I improve?”

In that moment, it hit me. My feedback was like telling someone to “be more artistic” without pointing out whether their painting needed sharper lines, richer colors, or a change in perspective. Vague advice wastes time, frustrates effort, and often sends people in the wrong direction entirely.

I sat down with AL in my room and walked him through exactly what needed fixing—gaps in logic, unclear diagrams, awkward phrasing in key paragraphs. No vague suggestions, no guesswork. He took the feedback, made the changes, and when he handed me the next draft, it was sharp, clear, and client-ready.

But the real impact wasn’t just on that one document. From that point forward, every report he submitted was polished and precise. One round of clear, actionable feedback didn’t just improve his work—it transformed the way he thought about communication entirely.

If you want real improvement from your team, don’t just toss out generalities and hope they find their way. Give them something they can hold onto—clear, specific, actionable feedback. Because no one can fix what they can’t see.