Best of Motivation | Clarity Over Noise

Five Questions Before You Give Feedback

Nelson Fernandes

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0:00 | 5:14

Gallup found managers account for 70% of the variance in employee engagement. Most managers respond to that by deciding they need to give more feedback. That's where they go wrong.

Every popular framework — SBI, GROW, the feedback sandwich — tells you how to deliver. None of them ask whether you should be delivering at all.

In this episode: BOM's 5R diagnostic. Five questions to run before booking any feedback conversation.

1. Reprioritise — Is this person overwhelmed?
2. Reset Expectations — Were the standards ever clearly communicated?
3. Recognise — Have I only ever given them corrective feedback?
4. Resource — Is something blocking them that I haven't addressed?
5. Role Model — Am I demonstrating the standard I'm about to ask for?

Plus a real story from the shop floor: a busy-looking employee, a low-output shift, and one question that changed everything — for both of us.

Try this tomorrow morning before your next feedback talk. About half of you will realise the conversation needs to start somewhere different. The other half will find the real shape of the conversation, and it'll land sharper than the version you were going to give.

Discover your leadership style with the free Modern Leadership Style Quiz at bestofmotivation.com/modern-leadership-style-quiz

Clarity over noise.

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Best of Motivation is a quiet, reflective podcast about clarity, decisions, and navigating work and life with intention.


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