By Eric Sprague C & R Magazine 07/22/2025
Let’s cut straight to it—most of us in the trades didn’t get into business to become HR specialists.
We got into it because we’re good at the work, we wanted more control, and maybe we thought we could do it better than the guy we used to work for. But now here we are running teams—and a lot of us are struggling with the people part of the job.
Especially when it comes to giving our team-members feedback and reviews.
I get it. Giving feedback can feel awkward; we worry they will quit if it’s bad news and we never feel like we have the time to do it. So, you put it off. You tell yourself the crew knows what’s expected. You convince yourself that a few high five’s or the occasional “good job, bro” is enough.
But here’s the reality: avoiding giving employee feedback is silently killing your culture, your performance, and your profits.
Why Business Owners Dodge Feedback
When I talk to owners, here’s what I hear, over and over again:
- “I don’t want to be the bad ”
- “What if they quit?”
- “I’m already slammed I don’t have time for more ”
- “I don’t even know how to say it the right ”
- “They should just know by ” Sound familiar?
Most of these are emotional reasons based on fear, guilt, and uncertainty. The problem is, the longer we avoid giving feedback, the harder it is to get started.
The Fallout of Not Giving Feedback
When you skip regular feedback and reviews, here’s what happens behind the scenes:
1. Bad Habits Start Running the Show
If your techs, CSRs, or sales reps never get course-corrected, they just keep doing things their way, not the company way. That means missed steps, sloppy service, opportunity lost, and frustrated clients.
2. Your Team Doesn’t Know How to Win
Your people—especially the younger employees of Gen Z—want to know how they’re doing. If they don’t hear it from you, they’ll assume they’re messing up or that you don’t care.
3. Little Problems Turn into Big Blowups
What starts as a minor issue festers. Then it explodes. You lose someone you didn’t want to lose—or you end up dealing with angry outbursts, drama, or bad attitudes that could’ve been avoided with one honest conversation weeks earlier. More importantly, as you ignore giving feedback and tolerate bad behavior or poor performance, you are alienating your best team members.
4. Good People Leave, Mediocre People Stay
Your high performers are hungry for growth. If you’re not giving them coaching, feedback, or a vision for the future, they’ll find it somewhere else. Meanwhile, underperformers get complacent, and it drags your whole culture down. It’s what Steve Jobs called having a “bozo explosion.”
5. Your Reputation and Revenue Take a Hit
More callbacks. Fewer upsells. Slower jobs. Sloppy client communication. If no one’s holding anyone accountable, quality slides and so do your reviews. I remember early in my career not wanting to slow down and give reviews, but all that created was a building full of mediocre employees, doing half-ass work. It took me two years to rid myself of all of them and restart with a better crew. It was also two long years of damage control and keeping angry clients happy. That cost us the ability to keep growing.
6. The Culture Starts to Crack
Without feedback, there’s no standard. No expectations. Just people winging it. That’s how resentment, confusion, and “us vs. them” attitudes start to form. Time needs to be invested to create cohesion and a shared culture of excellence. It feels slow and expensive. However, once done right it will super charge your business.
So, What Do You Do Instead?
You don’t need to become some Fortune 500 company with layers of HR bureaucracy. You just need a repeatable rhythm—something that fits how your business runs in the real world.
Here’s a 4-part system I teach. The system is built from years of hard knocks and figuring it out over time. I know it works because it worked for me and it’s simple, fast, and consistent. I have hundreds of home service companies as clients as well, who are doing it daily, with good results.
1. Micro Check-Ins (5–10 min)
These are quick, casual chats in the truck, at the supply house, or when unloading at the end of the day.
Ask:
- What went well today?
- What was frustrating?
- What do you need from me?
- What’s one thing you’re working on improving?
This helps you lead like a servant—not just a boss. And it keeps the communication flowing.
2. Monthly Written Quick Reviews (10–15 min)
Once a month, do a short sit-down and go over performance. Use a simple scorecard:
- Jobs completed
- Close rate
- Customer reviews
- Tardiness
- Callbacks
Tell them one or two things they’re doing well, one thing they can work on, and then ask them how they plan to improve. That’s what creates buy-in.
3. On-the-Spot Feedback (Role Play and Ride Alongs)
Praise in public. Coach in private. That’s the rule. If someone nails it—say so.
“Hey, I loved how you explained the repair options on that job—super clear and confident.”
If someone slips up—correct it right away.
“Quick thing—remember to wear your boot covers before walking in. That stuff matters.”
Make it short, specific, and respectful.
4. Morning Huddle Feedback Loops
Use your daily meeting to reinforce the culture.
- Ask: “What stuck with you from yesterday’s job?”
- Do a quick shoutout for someone who crushed
- Share a performance metric or
- Let people share feedback upwards with surveys or suggestion This builds trust and shows your team you’re listening too.
Why It Works
This system works because it meets your team where they’re at. It’s not corporate. It’s not complicated. It’s real-world feedback in real-time.
- You catch issues early before they cost you
- You reward the people who are doing it
- You give underperformers a fair shot to
- And you build a culture where everyone knows how to
Final Thought
When you invest in a real feedback rhythm like this, it’s not just your team that grows— you grow as a leader. You start spotting issues early on, your stress level drops, and you stop dreading difficult conversations. You build more trust with your team, retain your best people, and create a culture that runs smoother with less drama. And the best part of all? You’re not alone anymore—you’re leading a team that’s engaged, aligned, and going in the same direction. That’s what the 4-part system delivers. Less chaos, more clarity, and a business that finally starts to feel like it’s working for you.