Why "Good Job" Isn't Feedback: How to Give Specific, Numbers-Based Feedback

"Good job." Two words. Zero information.

I say this to every leadership team I work with here in Singapore, and I'll say it to you too: if you want real teamwork, you have to kill the vague feedback habit. "Good job" tells your team member nothing about what to repeat. "Not good enough" tells them nothing about what to fix. Vague feedback isn't kindness. It's a shortcut that costs you clarity, and clarity is the one thing every high-performing team actually runs on.

The Mary and John Problem

Let me tell you a story I use in almost every workshop.

Mary is the boss. She asks John for a report by 2pm. John delivers it at 1:58pm, five short lines. Done. On time. Sorted, right?

Wrong. Mary looks at it and says, "This is rubbish. Not good enough." John is confused. His last boss said "okay, no problem", for the exact same style of report. So who's right?

Neither, actually. What's missing isn't competency. It's standards. Nobody had the conversation about what "good" looks like before the deadline hit. This is what I call the missing conversation, and it's the number one reason teams get frustrated with each other even when everyone has positive intent.

"Common Sense" Is Not Common

Leaders love to say, "just use your common sense." But common sense isn't common; it's personal. What looks obvious to you was shaped by your own wiring, your own strengths, your own experience. Someone with a Maximiser strength thinks "good" means excellent, borderline perfectionist. Someone with an Achiever mindset thinks "good" means we hit the next milestone. Neither is wrong. They're just speaking different languages, and if you don't translate, your team stays stuck guessing.

Fix It With Numbers

Here's the shift I ask every leader to make: stop using adjectives, start using numbers.

Instead of "not good enough," try: "This is a four out of ten. I need an eight. Here are the four things that would get you there."

Instead of "I need this fast," try: "I need this in three hours."

Suddenly the fog clears. Your team isn't managing your mood anymore; they're managing a target. This is what I mean when I talk about clarity and sharpness in your language as a leader. Gymnasts don't get told "good job" at the Olympics. They get a score out of ten. Be that specific.

Why This Matters for Leadership and Teamwork

This isn't just a nice-to-have soft skill. It's core to leadership. A leader who gives vague feedback creates what I call an unanchored team: everyone's moving, but nobody's sure in what direction, and momentum leaks out everywhere. A leader who gives sharp, numbers-based feedback creates the opposite: a team that trusts the standard because they can actually see it.

I've run this exercise with teams across Singapore and the region, and the pattern is always the same. The moment leaders start quantifying what "good" means, the frustration in the room drops, and teamwork gets easier almost overnight, not because people suddenly became more skilled, but because they finally know what they're aiming at.

The Takeaway

Your team isn't struggling because they lack talent. They're struggling because "good job" and "not good enough" are opinions, not instructions. Replace them with a number, a standard, and a clear next step, and watch how much faster and more confidently your team starts to move.

That's not a communication trick. That's leadership. I hope this resonates with you.