Solving Problems
Sometimes, we become so focused on what has gone wrong that we forget to notice what is going right. In medicine, business, education, and nearly every other field, improvement often begins with a problem. We investigate failures, identify contributing factors, and develop plans to prevent their recurrence. That work matters. In healthcare, it is essential for patient safety.
But, somewhere along the way, our attention can become disproportionately focused on deficiencies. We hold meetings about missed targets, examine errors, and review the things people should have done differently. Meanwhile, the thoughtful decisions, quiet acts of teamwork, and everyday examples of excellence may pass without acknowledgment. The absence of a problem is rarely celebrated.
I have wondered whether we miss an important opportunity when we spend so much energy identifying what went wrong and comparatively little recognizing what went right. What might happen if we became as deliberate about noticing success as we are about investigating failure?
Shifting the Spotlight
Catching people doing the right thing sounds simple. Yet, in a busy organization, it requires intentionality. Leaders must look beyond outcomes and notice the actions that make good outcomes possible: someone who anticipates a problem, asks a difficult question, offers help without being asked, or makes certain that a quieter colleague is heard.
Imagine being recognized for one of those moments...not with a generic “great job,” but with an observation that makes clear what you did and why it mattered. “I noticed you stopped the team to clarify the plan. That helped everyone understand the next step.” Such feedback reinforces a behavior worth repeating. It also tells the recipient that their contribution was seen.
Recognition need not be grand, public, or reserved for extraordinary achievements. Some of the most meaningful contributions are the ones that prevent trouble before anyone else notices. When we celebrate only dramatic rescues and visible victories, we risk overlooking the subtle preparation, kind communication, and engaging collaboration that make those victories possible.
I have seen this play out countless times in the pediatric ICU. During a critical situation, someone may notice a subtle change in a patient's condition, question an assumption, or suggest an alternative approach. Sometimes that observation changes the direction of care. Sometimes it simply confirms that we are on the right path. Either way, acknowledging the courage to speak up reinforces something far more important than an individual contribution. It reinforces the kind of team we want to become.
What the Science Tells Us
There is research behind this intuition. In a meta-analysis of 128 experiments, psychologists Edward Deci and colleagues found that positive feedback was associated with greater intrinsic motivation, measured through both interest and voluntary engagement. Recognition can do more than make someone feel good in the moment; under the right conditions, it can strengthen the desire to engage in the work itself.[1]
Research in the workplace offers additional support. In a controlled field experiment involving more than 300 workers completing a data-entry task, Bradler and colleagues found that unexpected public recognition increased subsequent performance. Interestingly, the improvement was driven largely by employees who had not themselves received recognition, suggesting that recognition can influence group behavior as well as individual effort.[2] This was one particular setting and not proof that every award or announcement will produce the same result.
The evidence also cautions us against treating all feedback as equally useful. Kluger and DeNisi examined 607 effects across feedback studies and found that feedback improved performance on average, yet more than one-third of the interventions were associated with declining performance.[3] The lesson is not simply that positive feedback works and negative feedback fails. Rather, the way feedback directs attention matters. Feedback focused on the task and possibilities for improvement may help; feedback that shifts attention toward personal inadequacy can undermine performance.
Hattie and Timperley similarly concluded that feedback can have either positive or negative effects depending on its content and delivery.[4] Although their review focused on learning and education, its central distinction is useful in leadership: information about a specific action, a process, or a next step is usually more actionable than a broad judgment about a person.
The Cost of Constant Correction
Constructive feedback is necessary. I would never want a colleague to remain silent about a clinical concern or a mistake that needs to be addressed. Accountability, especially in high-stakes environments, is indispensable. But, a culture in which people hear only about their shortcomings can begin to feel like a place where their contributions are invisible.
When every conversation is about what needs fixing, people may become more concerned about avoiding criticism than about experimenting, learning, or speaking up. This is particularly concerning in teams that depend on information flowing freely across professional and hierarchical boundaries.
Amy Edmondson’s research on 51 work teams linked psychological safety, the shared belief that speaking up and taking interpersonal risks is safe, with team learning behavior.[5] A subsequent meta-analysis across 136 independent samples also documented relationships between psychological safety and important workplace outcomes.[6] These studies do not prove that praise alone creates psychological safety. They do, however, reinforce why the interpersonal climate surrounding feedback deserves attention.
In my view, correction delivered with respect and curiosity can strengthen a team. Correction delivered through embarrassment, blame, or repeated personal judgment can discourage exactly the openness we hope to cultivate. This is particularly important in the pediatric ICU, where we depend on open, honest, and timely communication during life-threatening situations. When so much is at stake, every member of the team must feel comfortable speaking up, regardless of their role or experience.
Recognition Without Empty Praise
This is not an argument for toxic positivity. There is little value in offering indiscriminate praise, minimizing difficult realities, or ignoring serious concerns. Hollow praise eventually loses its meaning.
Recognition and accountability are not competing priorities. In fact, I would argue that the strongest teams need both. People should know when they have fallen short, but they deserve just as much to know when they have made a meaningful contribution.
Effective recognition is genuine, specific, and connected to impact. Instead of saying, “You are amazing,” consider saying, “When the family was confused, you took the time to explain the plan again. You helped restore trust.” Rather than praising an entire team for “working hard,” identify the collaboration, thoughtful preparation, or willingness to raise a concern that made a difference.
Nor should recognition become a competition for visibility. If only the loudest voices or most conspicuous achievements receive attention, quieter but equally important work can disappear from view. Leaders must actively notice contributions across roles, shifts, personalities, and disciplines.
What Leaders Can Do Tomorrow
We do not need a new committee or elaborate recognition program to begin. We can start with one meaningful observation each day. We can name the behavior, explain its effect, and thank the person responsible. We can ask during debriefings not only, “What should we improve?” but also, “What worked well, and what should we make sure to repeat?”
When something goes wrong, we can still investigate it rigorously. When something goes right, we can apply the same curiosity. What actions made success more likely? Who helped? What conditions allowed good judgment or teamwork to flourish? Studying success need not compete with learning from failure; the two approaches can strengthen each other.
We can also make feedback a conversation rather than a verdict. Research by Anseel and colleagues suggests that pairing feedback with deliberate reflection can improve subsequent performance more than feedback alone in simulated work tasks.[7] Asking “What do you think went well?” or “What would you do differently next time?” gives people an active role in their learning.
Resonating Positivity
I know how I respond when someone notices something I did well. I feel valued. I am more inclined to communicate, collaborate, and contribute again. I suspect many others experience something similar. Recognition reminds us that the work we do, and the way we do it, matters to someone beyond ourselves.
Organizations will always have problems to solve. The question is whether problem-solving becomes the only lens through which we see our people. We can hold high standards and acknowledge progress. We can correct mistakes and celebrate good judgment. We can insist on accountability while treating one another with kindness.
Perhaps the most overlooked act of leadership is also one of the simplest: notice when someone does the right thing, and tell them why it mattered. Because sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do for another person is let them know that they made a difference.
How do you balance addressing problems with recognizing the people and behaviors that help your team succeed?
Scientific References
1. Deci EL, Koestner R, Ryan RM. A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. Psychological Bulletin. 1999;125(6):627–668. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.125.6.627
2. Bradler C, Dur R, Neckermann S, Non A. Employee recognition and performance: A field experiment. Management Science. 2016;62(11):3085–3099. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2015.2291
3. Kluger AN, DeNisi A. The effects of feedback interventions on performance: A historical review, a meta-analysis, and a preliminary feedback intervention theory. Psychological Bulletin. 1996;119(2):254–284. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.119.2.254
4. Hattie J, Timperley H. The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research. 2007;77(1):81–112. https://doi.org/10.3102/003465430298487
5. Edmondson A. Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly. 1999;44(2):350–383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999
6. Frazier ML, Fainshmidt S, Klinger RL, Pezeshkan A, Vracheva V. Psychological safety: A meta-analytic review and extension. Personnel Psychology. 2017;70(1):113–165. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12183
7. Anseel F, Lievens F, Schollaert E. Reflection as a strategy to enhance task performance after feedback. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 2009;110(1):23–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2009.05.003
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