Feedback phrase decoder

Feedback at work arrives in shorthand. The shorthand and the actual problem are usually about different things, and acting on the words as given sends you at the wrong one. Find the phrase you were handed.

Each page says what the phrase usually means, what else it can mean, what to find out, and what the research does and does not support. Free, no account.

• The Record

  “Be more visible.”

  The people who decide about you cannot describe your work without asking someone else first.

• The Room

  “Work on your executive presence.”

  Something in the first seconds reads as uncertainty to people who have not worked with you. It is rarely about competence.

• The Ladder

  “Be more strategic.”

  Your work is being read as execution rather than judgement. Nobody has watched you name a trade-off.

• The Ladder

  “You're not ready yet.”

  There is a specific missing thing. Either the person does not know what it is, or cannot tell you.

• The Ladder

  “There’s no headcount right now.”

  Three sentences in one: a timing problem, a structural one, or a polite no. The words do not tell you which.

• The Room

  “Speak up more.”

  A timing observation wearing a personality note. The point was ready; the window was not.

• The Ladder

  “Keep doing what you’re doing.”

  You are rated well on the job you have. Nobody is building the case for the next one.

• The Room

  “Work on your communication.”

  A signal you send is being read as something you did not mean. The fix is usually one habit, not your English.

• The Room

  “Be more confident.”

  You are being read as less sure than you are. That is about a few observable habits, not your nerve.

• The Ladder

  “You need more exposure to senior leaders.”

  The people who will argue about your promotion do not know you well enough to argue for you.

• The Ladder

  “Let’s revisit it next cycle.”

  The decision for this cycle is already made. The next one starts being made earlier than you think.

• The Cost

  “You need better boundaries.”

  Often said about a load that is structural. Whether a boundary costs you depends on whether anyone can see it.