It’s interesting how we speak so well of people at their funerals. You’ll hear about all the nice things a person did in their lifetime and about all the things they did so well.

I can imagine the person thinking, ‘You mean I did that so well and no one told me?’ 
I came across the term continuous improvement some years back. I thought of it as a watchword; something to keep in mind. Applying it to every part of one’s life sets you on a journey to perfection and you find yourself getting better and better.

This is one of the reasons I consider feedback as a very important thing. In fact, good feedback is a gift because you arm the person with information about the good they should continue to do and improve on or the bad they should ensure they do not repeat.

In addition, some people never take that big step because they are uncertain about how good they are. Good feedback here could go a long way in encouraging such a person to reach for greater heights in what they are clearly good at; especially if that feedback is from someone they respect or someone they see as a model in that area of endeavour.

I wonder why people find it so hard to say ‘good job’ to someone who has actually done well, and then comment a little about what was done well. It takes only a few seconds but it makes a big difference. Try it.

Let’s make an effort to give good feedback to people while they still have the chance to use it to improve. Don’t wait for the funeral.