Illustrators know this as the “hairy arm”: adding an undesirable minor detail to give the art director something with whose removal they can put their stamp on the project, without wrecking the rest of it or making too much work for the artist.

When designing, I try to provide options and typically one is a "throw away" simple option that took no effort. Like I change a color or a minor element. Just to provide the illusion of choice.

If I don't provide multiple options on the initial drafts people lose their damn minds. They try to redesign something that shouldn't have their input. This let's them talk about which one they like better and not fixate on one design and tear into it.

Also I get the low effort feedback. Everyone has some opinion on visuals, because it's easy to say "what if...". Big part of the job is coming prepared knowing what people will start picking at with answers ready to why you did what you did. Or just bullshitting on the spot.

I use this a lot in presentations, and have taught this to colleagues I have mentored.

However I kind of understand the urge, when I'm on the other side and have to give feedback, saying "everything looks great" seems kind of lazy, or a cop-out. I have to fight the need to find something to nit-pick.

or customers.

it works everywhere, even on me

I use it with customers, to hide something I haven't quite figured out yet or know will result in a lengthy conversation that's been had a dozen times before with no change in outcome

my team knows that there's only so much time for review, so if they put dumb things to catch in reviews of their work, they can slip larger things by the quality review process. they also understand that that's on them — if there's so much wrong with something that it would simply take too long to point it all out, the problem is with their work, not with the reviewer.

only somewhat related, but shout out to the guy who would repeatedly make the same mistakes on drawings over and over again. he would put up a review package of 100 drawings, the common mistake would be noted explicitly on the first couple, and then on the 3rd the note would read "applies to all subsequent drawings". that guy would then only fix the ones that were explicitly called out. either a complete dumbass or lack of giving a shit, I don't know which. I've probably worked with both.

Actual leadership is, "This work looks good, let's not waste any more time talking about it."

Don't be noncommittal, instead approve the work and push for moving forward. When someone suggests that more criticism is needed, indicate that they're the one holding up progress.