Complaints Without Solutions: Why Feedback Matters More Than We Think

by Angela Sanford

Feedback is the foundation of growth. It’s how we learn, improve, and adapt. And yet, I find it curious how reluctant people can be to give constructive feedback. Ask someone to fill out a feedback form, and often, the response is silence. But when something doesn’t meet our expectations? That’s when the complaints come pouring out—on social media, in casual conversations, in whispers of discontent.

   Recently, I received some feedback about the bulletin I publish. Or rather, I received a comment. Someone told me flatly, “It has nothing in it. It’s a waste of time.”

   Now, the numbers suggest otherwise—people do read it, both online and in print. But statistics don’t always matter in the face of opinion. So instead of defending myself, I tried to engage. I asked, “What would make it worthwhile for you? Too much of something? Not enough of something else? What would you like to see?”

   The answer? A shrug. “It’s just a waste of time.”

   And that’s where the conversation ended.

   Here’s the problem: identifying what we don’t like is easy. Offering solutions—that’s where critical thinking, collaboration, and a growth mindset come into play. Without that next step, complaints are just noise. They don’t move us forward; they keep us stuck.

I don’t expect everyone to love the bulletin. That’s unrealistic. But when feedback doesn’t come with even the faintest suggestion for change, I quickly realize that there’s nothing I can offer to shift that person’s perspective. Their opinion, in that moment, doesn’t carry weight, because it doesn’t open a door to growth.

   The truth is, this dynamic isn’t limited to community bulletins. It plays out on a global scale. Look around—our newsfeeds are full of frustration about climate change, politics, poverty, inequality, conflict. The complaints are loud, constant, and overwhelming. But when it comes to offering thoughtful, actionable solutions? The room goes quiet.

   That’s not to say solutions don’t exist—they do. But as a society, we’ve become comfortable voicing dissatisfaction without stepping into the harder work of problem-solving. It’s easier to criticize than to collaborate. Easier to shrug than to think creatively. Easier to complain than to commit.

   Sometimes, when I’m scrolling through the endless stream of negativity online, I have to pause and ask myself: Am I adding to the noise, or am I helping shape a solution? And if I don’t have anything to offer—no suggestion, no idea, no path forward—maybe the most valuable choice I can make is to step away from the problem altogether.

   Because in the end, growth—whether for a community newsletter or for the world at large—depends not on complaints, but on constructive feedback. Not on pointing at the cracks, but on picking up a tool to help repair them.