The problem with feedback? You might be starting in the wrong place.

It’s the last week of school in Scotland, and most schools are about to head into summer (or winter) breaks. It’s a time of reflection and feedback.

But there’s a moment every leader faces: giving feedback that lands like a lead balloon. It doesn’t change behaviour. It doesn’t boost motivation. It doesn’t move the dial.

In fact, research suggests it might even do the opposite. In 40% of cases, feedback reduces performance.

Why? Because feedback without a clear, shared vision is like directions without a destination. So it’s no wonder that people often get lost or defensive when it comes to those end of year reviews and reflections.

Too often, we jump into telling someone where they’re going wrong before we’ve agreed where we’re all trying to go in the first place.

That’s not just unhelpful. It’s unfair.[ ](https://www.dylanwiliam.org/Dylan_Wiliams_website/Papers_files/AAMT%2005%20paper%20(US%29.pdf)[We get it right for students](https://www.dylanwiliam.org/Dylan_Wiliams_website/Papers_files/AAMT%2005%20paper%20(US%29.pdf) - why do we struggle to get it right for ourselves?

David Peterson’s Development Pipeline is one useful model to rethink the vision thing before the start of the next term, whatever size of team you lead (even if it’s a team of one).

Peterson, Director of Executive Coaching at Google, argues that feedback works best when it’s linked to the learner’s own goals and the bigger picture of the organisation’s direction. Without that foundation, even well-meaning feedback can sound like criticism for criticism’s sake.

At NoTosh, we’ve seen this in action. We help school leaders rethink how they give feedback, not as one-way critique, but as part of a Culture of Focus. We shift teams from “giving feedback” to “seeking feedback”. From “telling people how they did” to “asking people where they want to go”.

But even these models need something to aim for. And that means getting your vision right first.

Vision is simply the focussed story that sticks in people’s minds and reminds them what they should go for, no matter how many other goals vie for their attention.

If you’re frustrated that feedback doesn’t seem to stick, ask this first: have we agreed what ‘great’ looks like here? Because without clarity on the goal, feedback is just noise.