The most valuable end-of-year gift for your team

We often reserve specific, meaningful feedback for annual reviews or a coworker’s last day. Spend 30 minutes this holiday break and do it for the people you love working with.

👋 Hi, it’s Greg and Taylor. Welcome to our newsletter on everything you wish your CEO told you about how to get ahead.

Last February, Greg wrote a LinkedIn post about working with me. Reading the 250 words I felt seen (his praise was specific and personalized to me) and appreciated (he highlighted why I’m valuable as COO). It took him 10 minutes to write, and made my month.

Most of us reserve this type of thoughtful, specific praise for when someone’s leaving a job – we write goodbye notes or make a toast at their last all hands. But the effort is low and the upside is high – it makes the recipient’s week and you stand out as a colleague. 

So while we’re spending the holidays with our families this week, we’re also sharing this kind of feedback with co-workers that we really appreciate. Here’s our short guide for how we’ll do it.

– Taylor

Why it matters

Most of us are hard on ourselves, and the rise in comparison culture is well documented. With Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok, it’s never been easier to feel inadequate. 

So getting personal, specific feedback or praise on what makes you valuable or unique feels great. It’s why career/life coaches have their clients proactively ask colleagues or friends what makes them unique or valuable and why a great review from a boss or manager stands out.

How to give great personal feedback

There are three components to the most memorable positive feedback we’ve received (and given):

1. Specific – it’s more common to get generic positive feedback (i.e. “you’re a hard worker” or “you’ve been an invaluable part of the team”). The best feedback includes specific language and specific examples.

2. Differentiated – the feedback highlights something the person does or is good at that many others aren’t also good at. The best version of this is when the feedback puts into words something the person had a sense they were good at, but didn’t know how to articulate.

3. Highlights their value to you – meaningful feedback highlights the impact the person has made on you or the team.

Here’s Greg’s post, annotated with these three characteristics.

Our advice

Spend 30 minutes between Christmas and New Years and send three people positive, specific feedback. And if you don’t have co-workers, consider friends, customers or a member of your family. It’ll take you 30 minutes and will likely be one of the highlights of their holiday season. Better than some secret Santa gift that will end up in a landfill.

Happy holidays,

Greg & Taylor