--- title: Help Your Manager Give Better Feedback description: Many people don’t get the quality or quantity of feedback that they would like from their manager. It's time to change that. image: https://rev0.org/hubfs/Feature%20Image%20-%20Help%20Your%20Manager%20Give%20Better%20Feedback-1.png --- [![Black-1](https://rev0.org/hubfs/Logos/Black-1.png)](https://rev0.org) - Services - [Overview](https://rev0.org/services-overview) - [New Manager Foundations](https://rev0.org/new-manager-fundamentals) - [Leadership Coaching](https://rev0.org/leadership-coaching) - [Group Coaching](https://rev0.org/group-coaching) - Library - [Articles](https://rev0.org/articles) - [eBooks](https://rev0.org/ebooks) - [Videos](https://rev0.org/videos) - [Recommended Reading](https://rev0.org/recommended-reading) - [Newsletter](https://rev0.org/subscribe-to-the-rev-0-newsletter) - [Speaking](https://rev0.org/speaking-and-workshops) - Rev 0 online - [Course](https://rev0.org/diy-manager-foundations) - [Member Login](https://www.rev0.online/) [Contact Us](https://rev0.org/contact-rev-0-consulting) # Help Your Manager Give Better Feedback Many people don’t get the quality or quantity of feedback that they would like from their manager. It's time to change that. [Dain Johnson](https://rev0.org/articles/author/dain-johnson) Nov 16, 2022 --- ***One of the things I'm seeing right now is that many people don’t get the quality or quantity of feedback that they would like from their manager.*** In coaching, I guide managers to identify the problem, figure out a simple course of action, observe outcomes, and adjust. Below, we break down the complex problem of unactionable feedback.   ### **Problem:** *Unactionable feedback* Have you ever received generic feedback like “work on your executive presence,” or “you need to improve your communication”? These are worthwhile endeavors, but they aren't specific behaviors. Consider yourself lucky if you get specific, behavioral-focused, actionable feedback from your supervisor (even if it hurts to hear it). ### **Try this:** *"What does that look like?"* Help your manager give better feedback by asking better questions. You can improve the feedback you get by asking, “What does that look like?” This simple question can provide the prompt they need to be more specific, and give them the courage to say exactly what they mean. Repeat this question to identify as many specific behaviors as possible, then pick the one that **you** want to work on first. This idea – called “Swarm of B(ehaviors)’s” - comes from behavioral psychologist, **BJ Fogg,** in his phenomenal book, [**Tiny Habits**](https://amzn.to/3yXDnmD). If you aspire to improve your executive presence, some of the specific behaviors might be to “write more succinctly,” “interrupt less during staff meetings,” or “don’t participate in office gossip.” While these are all good changes to make, you and your manager should start by picking one and focusing on it specifically for a week. See what changes. ### **Expected outcome:** *Small wins* You'll get actionable, behavior-focused feedback when you ask for it, and your manager will get better at articulating their expectations. Look for small, observable behavioral changes and the impact they have around you. Ask yourself and others if this new behavior is contributing to the greater aspiration. This exercise also gives you practice working with qualitative data, which is what is so often missing from data-driven decision-making. If you still aren't getting the feedback you want, slightly adjust the question or seek feedback from someone else who can provide the perspective you need. What I'm working on now  When I'm not coaching, change management has been my focus for the past two months. I was featured on an expert insight series podcast with [Blue Margin](https://www.bluemargin.com/ttd/change-management-and-the-power-of-data-for-distributed-decision-making?hsLang=en-us), co-hosted a training on resiliency through change for a future-leaders cohort within a global enterprise, facilitated an in-person half-day change management workshop for corporate leaders, and attended the Enterprise Agility World Conference where I learned from brilliant people like Paul Gibbons and Dr. Leandro Herrero about the myths plaguing the change management discipline.   #### What I'm reading now [Thinking Fast and Slow](https://amzn.to/3ZobLSN) by Daniel Kahneman A fantastic discussion on the biases of intuition, how even the most experienced statisticians make poor judgments about statistical measurements, and why we can’t always be data-driven decision-makers (hint: we’re pretty good at making decisions without much information and we do it extremely fast).    *Disclaimer: The links in this post may contain affiliate links.* ## Similar posts Management ### [Ask Better Questions](https://rev0.org/articles/ask-better-questions) Practical tips for managers and leaders who want to ask questions that build trust, spark honest dialogue, and improve team performance. Dain Johnson Dec 10, 2025 Leadership ### [You Belong Here: Navigating Imposter Syndrome](https://rev0.org/articles/you-belong-here-navigating-imposter-syndrome) Imposter syndrome keeps capable leaders stuck in self-doubt. Three questions will help you shift from a place of doubt to purpose and confidence. Dain Johnson Mar 6, 2025 ### [Using Performance Reviews to (Actually) Improve Performance](https://rev0.org/articles/post/feed-forward-performance-reviews) The end of the year means time for the dreaded performance reviews. What if your performance review actually improved future performance? Dain Johnson Dec 15, 2022 ### Subscribe, and we'll send great tools and insights straight to your inbox [**CLICK HERE**](https://rev0.org/subscribe-to-the-rev-0-newsletter) if you'd like occasional emails on being a great manager or supporting the managers in your organization. ![Rev 0 Logo orange reserved](https://rev0.org/hubfs/Logos/Rev%200%20Logo%20orange%20reserved.png) Rev 0 LLC 2625 Redwing Rd, Ste 120 Fort Collins, CO ### Services - [Overview](https://rev0.org/services-overview) - [Manager Foundations](https://rev0.org/new-manager-fundamentals) - [Leadership Coaching](https://rev0.org/leadership-coaching) - [Group Coaching](https://rev0.org/group-coaching) ### Resources - [Articles](https://rev0.org/articles) - [Videos](https://rev0.org/videos) - [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCST4vjK5SMnmat_xAyyvj9g) - [Newsletter](https://rev0.org/subscribe-to-the-rev-0-newsletter) ### Rev 0 Online - [Member Login](https://login.circle.so/sign_in?request_host=www.rev0.online#email) - [DIY Manager Course](https://rev0.org/diy-manager-foundations) ### Company - [The Coach](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dain-johnson/) - [Client Testimonials](https://rev0.org/client-testimonials) - [Speaking](https://rev0.org/speaking-and-workshops) - [Contact Us](https://rev0.org/contact-rev-0-consulting) - [Careers](https://rev0.org/operations-and-client-success-coordinator) Illustrations by [Storyset](https://storyset.com/) [Powered by Atlas - a B2B SaaS HubSpot theme](https://www.kalungi.com/atlas-hubspot-theme-for-b2b-saas-software) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Dain Johnson", "url" : "https://rev0.org/articles/author/dain-johnson" }, "dateModified" : "2024-09-06T16:22:34.676Z", "datePublished" : "2022-11-16T07:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Help Your Manager Give Better Feedback", "image" : [ "https://rev0.org/hubfs/Feature%20Image%20-%20Help%20Your%20Manager%20Give%20Better%20Feedback-1.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://rev0.org/articles/post/how-data-changes-behavior", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://rev0.org/hubfs/Logos/Orange.png" }, "name" : "Rev 0 LLC" } } ```