Positive Reinforcement — But Then What?
Updated: May 5
In many organisations today, there has been a clear and welcome shift.
We talk more about strengths. We focus on what works. We encourage, recognise, and reinforce.
And for good reason.
Research from Positive Psychology has shown how powerful positive reinforcement can be — for motivation, engagement, and confidence.
For a long time, feedback was too often associated with:
criticism,
correction,
and what wasn’t good enough.
So moving towards a more positive approach makes sense.
And yet, in a recent discussion with a client, another question emerged.
When positive becomes… comfortable
Some team members — particularly more junior ones — expressed something subtle but important:
“I get positive feedback… but I’m not always sure what I still need to learn.”
Over time, this can create an unexpected effect.
If most of what someone hears is:
“this was good”
“well done”
“keep going”
…they may start to believe they are already where they need to be.
Not consciously. But quietly.
And this is where a risk appears:
learning slows down
effort feels less meaningful
and sometimes, motivation drops — not because things are hard, but because nothing is really stretching anymore.
What was meant to empower can, in some cases, create a form of comfortable stagnation.
The learning edge we don’t always see
There is a well-known model of learning that describes four stages, from unconscious incompetence to mastery.
The most fragile of these stages is often the first:
not knowing what we don’t yet know.
If feedback only reinforces what is already working, it can unintentionally leave that blind spot untouched. And without awareness of a gap, there is no reason to close it.
Research on skill development, particularly from Anders Ericsson, shows that improvement depends on deliberate practice — which includes:
clear feedback on what is not yet working
specific areas to improve
and effort directed at the edge of current capability
Without that edge, progress tends to plateau.
So where is the balance?
The question is not whether positive reinforcement is right.
It is.
The question is what it needs to be combined with.
Because learning rarely comes from comfort alone — but it also doesn’t come from constant correction.
Somewhere in between, there is a space where:
people feel valued
and still see clearly where they can grow.
Three dimensions that seem to matter
From experience — and supported by research — the balance is rarely one-size-fits-all.
It tends to depend on at least three dimensions.
1. Context and maturity
Not all situations call for the same type of feedback.
For someone new to a role:
confidence often needs to be built
clarity matters more than nuance.
For someone more experienced:
challenge becomes more important
and expectations can be higher.
This aligns with ideas from situational leadership and development theory: support and challenge need to evolve with the person’s level of maturity in a given context.
What helps someone grow at one stage may limit them at another.
2. What kind of learning is involved
Not all feedback is about the same thing.
There is a difference between:
procedural knowledge (how to do something)
skills (how well it is done)
mindset (how someone approaches the situation).
Positive reinforcement works well to:
stabilise behaviours
build confidence
reinforce what should continue.
But when it comes to:
refining a skill
or shifting a mindset
…feedback often needs to be more explicit.
Not harsher — just clearer.
3. The person in front of you
People don’t experience feedback in the same way.
Some are energised by challenge. Others need a sense of safety before they can engage with it.
Frameworks like DISC — while simplified — remind us that:
some profiles are more comfortable with direct feedback
others need more context and framing
The same message, delivered in the same way, can either open someone up — or close them down.
Beyond reinforcement or correction
Perhaps the question is not:
“Should we be positive or corrective?”
But rather:
“What does this person need right now to keep learning?”
Sometimes that is encouragement. Sometimes it is clarity. Sometimes it is a gentle but honest reflection on what is not yet working.
And often, it is both.
The role of the manager
For managers, this creates a subtle but important responsibility.
Not just to:
recognise
or correct
…but to help people see themselves more clearly.
This is where the balance becomes less about technique and more about attention:
noticing where someone is
understanding what drives them
and adjusting the conversation accordingly
Good feedback doesn’t just make people feel good. It helps them see what they couldn’t see before.
A final reflection
Positive reinforcement has brought something essential back into organisations:
recognition
encouragement
and a more human way of leading.
But on its own, it is not enough.
Because growth doesn’t come only from being affirmed. It comes from being seen — fully.
Both for what is working, and for what is still possible.
And perhaps the real question is not:
“Are we being positive enough?”
But:
“Are we helping people grow — or just helping them feel comfortable where they are?”
References
Seligman, M.E.P. (2011) Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. New York: Free Press.
Dweck, C.S. (2006) Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House.
Ericsson, K.A. (2006) The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Edmondson, A.C. (1999) ‘Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams’, Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), pp. 350–383.
Howell, W.S. (1982) The Empathic Communicator. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
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