Telling someone what you don't want is not the same as defining what good actually looks like.
You slide a printed document back across the desk, circle three separate paragraphs in red ink, and tell your team member that the tone is off. You explain precisely why it misses the mark, what the client will reject, and where the strategic argument falls apart.
You think you are maintaining high standards and catching the errors. But they are left slightly deflated, staring at a marked-up document, trying to unpick your preferences from a running list of things you disliked.
Most management frustration stems from treating feedback as a post-mortem of ‘where it fails’.
The Boss Move – what you should be doing
If your team keeps missing the mark, check whether you are being clear enough about what good looks like. For example, what does it need to cover or deliver, what might they need to look out for or is there any context that helps.
Clarity is not pointing out the gap after the work is finished. It is describing the destination clearly enough that someone else can get there without your red pen.