Feedback Methods For Leadership Assessment

Too many leaders confuse kindness with comfort. But real kindness? It’s uncomfortable. It’s easy to be nice. It’s harder to be honest, especially when the truth might sting. I remember the first time I had to tell a team member their leadership style was alienating others. I was nervous. But not telling them? That would’ve been selfish. They deserved the chance to grow, not stay stuck in blind spots. Great leaders know this: 🚫 Avoiding hard feedback isn't kindness. ✅ Delivering it with empathy and a plan is. Kindness means: ✅ Naming the problem and staying present for the solution ✅ Challenging behavior, while still believing in potential ✅ Being the one voice brave enough to say what needs to be said The softest leaders avoid hard truths. The strongest leaders deliver them with empathy, clarity, and commitment. How real kindness shows up in feedback: 1. Set the tone Start with psychological safety. → “I see potential in you. This is about helping you rise to it.” 2. Use the SBI model: → Situation: “In yesterday’s client review…” → Behavior: “You interrupted twice during the Q&A…” → Impact: “It came across as dismissive, and we risk losing trust.” Focus on actions, not identity. 3. Be honest and helpful → “This needs to shift. But I’ll help you build the skill to get there.” 4. Co-create the next step: → “Let’s walk through what needs to change and how I can help.” 5. Follow through: → Feedback isn’t a moment. It’s a process. → Check in. Coach through it. Celebrate progress. 🧠 Harvard research shows people retain feedback better when it’s paired with a clear plan and delivered with care. Kindness without honesty is neglect. Honesty without kindness is cruelty. Leadership lives in the tension between both. Be kind. Be honest. Be clear. And be the kind of leader who never confuses silence for support. Comment Below: What’s the kindest honest feedback you ever received? ♻ Repost if you’ve ever had to tell someone a truth they needed to hear. I’m Dan 👊 Follow me for daily posts. I talk about confidence, professional growth and personal growth. ➕ Daniel McNamee

If your feedback isn't changing behavior, you're not giving feedback—you're just complaining. After 25 years of coaching leaders through difficult conversations, I've learned that most feedback fails because it focuses on making the giver feel better rather than making the receiver better. Why most feedback doesn't work: ↳ It's delivered months after the fact ↳ It attacks personality instead of addressing behavior ↳ It assumes the person knows what to do differently ↳ It's given when emotions are high ↳ It lacks specific examples or clear direction The feedback framework that actually changes behavior: TIMING: Soon, not eventually. Give feedback within 48 hours when possible Don't save it all for annual reviews. Address issues while they're still relevant. INTENT: Lead with purpose and use statements like - "I'm sharing this because I want to see you succeed" or "This feedback comes from a place of support." Make your positive intent explicit. STRUCTURE: Use the SBI Model. ↳Situation: When and where it happened ↳Behavior: What you observed (facts, not interpretations) ↳Impact: The effect on results, relationships, or culture COLLABORATION: Solve together by using statements such as - ↳"What's your perspective on this?" ↳"What would help you succeed in this area?" ↳"How can I better support you moving forward?" Great feedback is a gift that keeps giving. When people trust your feedback, they seek it out. When they implement it successfully, they become advocates for your leadership. Your feedback skills significantly impact your leadership effectiveness. Coaching can help; let's chat. | Joshua Miller What's the best feedback tip/advice, and what made it effective? #executivecoaching #communication #leadership #performance

Your brain can't process praise and criticism simultaneously. That's why traditional feedback methods are harmful. But there's ONE discovery that creates growth, not resistance: Direct. Then Connect. Neuroscience shows our brains process praise and criticism through completely different neural pathways. That's why the "feedback sandwich" fails so spectacularly. When we buffer criticism with praise... The brain cannot process these mixed signals effectively. People see through it anyway. Studies show 74% of professionals detect sandwich feedback within seconds. Having directly managed 300+ people and coached over 100 founders on leadership and culture, I’ve seen the real impact of feedback. Here’s what works... Two simple steps: 1. DIRECT: First, get permission and deliver unfiltered feedback. "May I share some observations about your presentation?" Then state exactly what needs improvement. This activates voluntary participation, and increases receptivity greatly. 2. CONNECT: Then, separately reaffirm their value "Your contributions remain vital to our success." The key? Complete separation between these steps. Direct feedback gives a clean signal about what needs to change. Connection maintains psychological safety. They know their status isn't threatened. Getting permission isn’t a minor detail - it’s crucial. It fosters respect and trust before you give tough feedback. Setting the stage for it to land well. The neuroscience behind this is clear: A Gallup study shows regular feedback mechanisms result in 14.9% increase in employee engagement and a 21% increase in profitability. Companies implementing this see remarkable results: • Cisco saw 54% faster resolution of team conflicts • Adobe reported 30% reduction in employee turnover • Pixar found 22% higher willingness to challenge assumptions • Microsoft under Nadella accelerated deployment cycles by 31% The traditional sandwich approach can feel safer, but it creates distrust. Direct Then Connect can feel scarier, but it builds psychological safety. Humans are wired to prioritize belonging above almost everything. When feedback threatens our status, our brains go into protection mode. When feedback becomes clear and non-threatening, learning accelerates. Implementing this approach requires courage. You have to trust your relationship is strong enough to handle direct feedback. But that's the paradox: By being more direct, you actually build stronger relationships. Try it with your team this week. You might feel uncomfortable at first, but watch what happens to your culture. When feedback becomes clear and non-threatening, learning accelerates. And companies that learn faster win. - If you liked this post? Follow us for more insights on conscious leadership and building companies from the inside out. Proud to coach with Inside-Out Leadership: executive coaching by trained coaches who have founded, funded, scaled, & sold their own companies.

Harsh truth: Most managers give feedback at exactly the wrong time. And it's costing you engagement, retention, and results. Here's what research shows: • Morning feedback is 25% more effective • Midweek feedback gets 40% better implementation • Regular feedback boosts engagement by 31% When I implement feedback systems in organizations, we use process confirmation: ↳ One process review monthly ↳ Clear documentation of correct execution ↳ Systematic improvement tracking The science-backed framework: ↳ Schedule feedback before lunch (peak brain receptivity) ↳ Target Tuesday-Thursday (avoid Monday blues) ↳ Keep specific issues to 5-10 minutes ↳ Document improvements systematically ↳ Follow up within 7 days This prevents the classic "waiting for annual review" problem. Instead, managers confirm processes regularly, catch issues early, and build trust through consistency. Start tomorrow: 1. Block 30 minutes before lunch for your next feedback session 2. Create a simple tracking template 3. Schedule one process review with each team member What's your biggest challenge with giving feedback? Reply below ⬇️ ___ 👋 Hi, I'm Sharon Grossman! I help organizations reduce turnover. ♻️ Repost to support your network. 🔔 Follow me for leadership, burnout, and retention strategies

I’m a huge fan of “radical candor,” but it has been abused to just “swoop and poop” with one-way feedback that makes people feel like crap. I can genuinely say this model for constructive feedback was life-changing. The person providing the feedback is asked to listen and engage with curiosity, not just share “constructive criticism”. It’s called SHARED. Rebecca Zucker introduced it to everyone Costanoa Ventures at one of our CEO Summits. This is how I describe it: 1️⃣ Lead with your intent. “I’m sharing this feedback because I believe in your potential as a leader, and I want to help you work on what might be in the way.” 2️⃣ Share what you observed. Include context. “In last week’s meeting, you said there was an issue getting the presentation done on time for sales. But you didn’t say the timeframe in which they should now expect it. I could sense the sales teams’ frustration, and it didn’t make clear you were doing all you could to get things back on track.” 3️⃣ Ask for their experience of the situation. This is the important part. Engage with curiosity and listen to what’s said and also what it infers. It's how to build shared understanding and points to where assumptions are getting in the way. “I assumed by my saying things had slipped that people would know I was doing all I could to get things back on track. It’s hard to hear that I don’t have enough credibility in the organization that people wouldn’t just assume I was doing everything I could. I work really hard for the team”  4️⃣ Close with a coaching conversation. You now have each sides’ perspective so you know what needs to be coached. In this particular situation, you can coach what proactive management of a situation looks like to most as well as address something that was presumed but not said that clearly hurt someone’s feelings. This person is equating hard work with getting the job done. And is making the feedback about their effort overall and not the situation at hand. These are important things to address during the coaching part of the feedback. People aren’t left wondering what is thought of them and you can coach on what the actual situation at hand is. I give more examples and the details of the SHARED model in the article. This feedback framework helped me give more constructive feedback and make feedback I'm getting feel more constructive. Save the world from swoop and poop moments and please share! #leadership #management #productmanagement #marketing #marketingstrategy #startups #prodmgmt #talent #careers #CEO