Working with your manager
Give your manager feedback, carefully
A simple exercise to give your manager useful feedback, framed around what they're trying to achieve
Ask your manager if they'd like a thought, then share what you saw, what you think it means for their goals, and what you might try together.
- 15 minutes
- You and your manager
- A few times a year
- Conversation
Why this can work
Feedback to a manager lands best as help toward something they already want. Tie what you saw to their goals, say what you think it means, and suggest something to try, and it reads as a colleague being useful rather than a report complaining. It also shows you understand what they're responsible for, which is much of what earns you a hearing.
Read moreHow to give feedback to your boss
You’ll come away with one observation shared with your manager, and something you agreed to try.
- Name what your manager is trying to achieve.
Before you think about the feedback, write down what they're working toward: a launch, a hiring goal, a number they're measured on, a calmer team. If you're not sure, that's worth finding out first.
- Draft what you saw, what it means, and what you might try.
One sentence each. What you saw is a specific moment. What it means ties it to their goal. What you might try is an offer, not a demand. For example: in the last two planning meetings, decisions got reopened after we'd agreed them. I think that's part of why the roadmap keeps slipping. Could we try writing the decision down before we leave the room?
- Ask for a few minutes in your next 1:1.
Asking first lets them choose the moment, and signals that this is something you've thought about rather than a reaction.
You“I've noticed something that I think affects what we're trying to get done. Would it be useful if I shared it?” - Say it, then ask for their read.
Keep to your three sentences. Then stop and listen; they may know things you don't, and a reason you hadn't considered is worth as much as a yes.
To: your managerSomething I've noticed: what you saw, one specific moment.
I think it may be part of why the goal it touches has been harder than it should be.
One thing we could try is your suggestion. I'm curious whether that matches what you're seeing, since you've got more of the picture than I do.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud. - Follow through on what you agree.
If you agreed to try something, do your part and mention it at the next 1:1. If the answer was no, ask why, and accept it for now.
Tip: A no with a reason is still progress. You understand their constraints better than you did.
Good times to repeat it: in a 1:1, a few times a yearafter a project wraps upwhen your manager asks how things are going
Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
You probably already have a sense of which yours is. Start with something small and see how it's received before you bring something bigger.
What might make this harder
Start smaller: one low-stakes observation, framed as a question about how they see it. How they handle that tells you whether the bigger one is worth raising.
Questions people ask
How do you give feedback to your boss?
Ask if they'd like a thought, tie it to something they're trying to achieve, describe what you saw, and suggest something to try. Keep it to one point, and ask how it looks from their side.
Is it appropriate to give your manager feedback?
Often, yes, when it's specific, well timed, and aimed at helping. Workplaces differ, so start small and see how it's received.
What if my manager doesn't take feedback well?
Start with something small, framed as a question. If even that goes badly, it's worth knowing, and a trusted peer or mentor can help you decide what's worth raising and how.
Why this works, and where it comes from
Giving your manager feedback carries a risk that giving it to anyone else doesn't: this is the person who evaluates you. So most people say nothing, or say it all at once on the day they finally snap. So managers can go a long time without hearing what their team sees, and often not because they don't want to. They simply see the work from a different height, and the things that are obvious from yours can be invisible from theirs.
The structure here is a move Truest leans on for raising anything new: here's what I saw, here's what I think it means, here's what I think we might do. It suits a manager especially well. It hands them a specific moment instead of a mood, your interpretation labeled as an interpretation, and a suggestion they can say yes or no to. That's a thought already on its way to a solution, which is a very different thing to receive than a complaint.
Tying it to their goals is what makes it land. From your manager's side, much of what arrives each week is problems. An observation connected to something they're responsible for, a deadline, a number, the health of the team, becomes information they can use. And if the answer is no, asking why is worth it. You'll learn what they're weighing, which makes your next suggestion better.
The careful 1:1 isn't the right channel for everything. If the issue involves harassment, discrimination, or something unethical, go to HR or to someone above your manager instead. New to the team? Spend a few weeks asking questions before offering conclusions, since you may be missing context that would change your read.
Other simple things to consider
What to do next
More in Working with your manager
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.