Why saving feedback for the annual review backfires
Holding feedback until a formal review can seem orderly. By then, though, it is usually too late for the person to do anything useful with it.
THE QUICK ANSWER
Saving feedback for the annual review means it arrives too late to change anything. A year of small issues delivered in one conversation feels like an ambush, and nobody can fix a pattern they first hear about twelve months later. The same gaps then repeat from one review to the next, and people dread a meeting meant to help them. The fix is to say the small thing the week it happens, not the year it happens.
GO DEEPER
The case for small, timely feedback
Waiting for a formal review can feel tidy. It gives you a set time for difficult conversations, lets you gather examples and avoids interrupting day-to-day work with minor points. Small issues also seem too trivial to raise individually.
The effect on the employee is very different. They hear a year’s worth of concerns at once, often about situations they barely remember, with no chance to have corrected them earlier. That can feel unfair and overwhelming, and it turns the review into something people fear rather than something that helps them improve.
The video’s fix is about timing. Say the small thing the week it happens, not the year it happens. Saved-up feedback says “I saved this up”; prompt feedback says “I caught this early.” Raising a minor point quickly, while it is fresh and easy to fix, keeps each conversation short and manageable.
Timely feedback works best when it is proportionate. A quick, private word about one specific thing is usually enough, and it should not become constant correction. When regular feedback is the norm, the annual review can become a summary of conversations already had, with no surprises for anyone.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Feedback is only useful while there is still time to act on it. Say the small thing the week it happens.
TEST YOURSELF
