A few weeks ago, I ran a Feedback Fitness Workshop with a team of Leaders. One activity sparked a powerful conversation about the emotional impact of feedback.

I gave each Leader a deck of cards—each one naming a different emotion or state—and asked them:

“It’s important our people feel this during feedback conversations…”
Their top five responses?

1. Confident

2. Supported

3. Helpful

4. Open-minded

5. Encouraged

Then, I flipped the script:

“It’s important our people don’t feel this during our feedback conversations…”

Here’s what came out on top:

1. Unappreciated

2. Confused

3. Powerless

4. Intimidated

5. Insecure

Here’s what stood out:
‘Unappreciated’ was the clear front-runner—by far.
It was chosen twice as often as the next most common response.

Appreciation Matters More Than You Think

When people don’t feel appreciated, feedback can feel like a personal attack—rather than a useful conversation for growth. In the Feedback Fitness Framework, appreciation is woven throughout:

• Use the Warm-Up Conversation to ask how your team likes to feel appreciated.

• Use the Workout Conversation to communicate specific appreciation in real time.

• Use the Cool Down Conversation to check in and make sure it landed.

Questions for Reflection:

• How appreciated do your team members feel—honestly? How do you know?

• When was the last time you asked them directly?

• And here’s a big one: Do you feel appreciated? If not, what would help?