How to Give Difficult Feedback
Why Leaders Avoid Giving Feedback
Today, I am wrapping up a 4-part series highlighting the top 4 requested leadership workshops for 2025.
So far, we’ve covered three critical skills:
It probably won’t surprise you that the program How to Give Feedback and Have Difficult Conversations takes a top spot on our list!
This course is so popular because most leaders were never actually taught how to give feedback, so they end up avoiding it.
Do you sometimes avoid giving feedback?
When doing so, have you ever found yourself thinking:
- “I don’t want to hurt their feelings.”
- “They might not like me if I give feedback.”
- “I don’t want this to become a personal battle.”
- “Maybe the issue will go away on its own.”
If so, you are not alone.
The Cost of Avoiding Difficult Conversations
In a recent survey, Forbes interviewed 7,631 managers and 44% agreed that giving constructive feedback was “stressful and difficult.”
However, if you avoid giving feedback, this situation just gets worse!
The good news is that if you know HOW to give feedback properly, your stress will dissipate and behaviour change is almost guaranteed.
My client Mei, for example, used to avoid giving constructive feedback. After taking this course, she completely changed how she approaches any difficult conversation.
She told me recently, “Vanessa, I don’t fear feedback anymore. Now I see it as the way to help my team grow.”
This comment was music to my ears.
What is Mei doing differently now?
Well, she now knows how to give clear, actionable feedback without avoiding the tough topics and her team respects her for it.
4 Key Principles for Giving Effective Feedback
Here are the key principles that Mei learned and applied so successfully:
- Be objective, not judgmental: Feedback should focus on improvement, not personal attacks or judgy remarks.
- Focus on specific behaviors: Address the exact actions and behaviours that need to change, not vague generalities.
- Be clear and concise: Say what you mean without unnecessary fluff. When you use too much fluff, your key message gets lost.
- Give feedback promptly: Don’t let issues fester; rather, address them as soon as possible.
Make 2026 Your Year of Growth-Focused Feedback
When you can shift your mindset and embrace feedback as a tool for growth, you start unlocking your team’s potential!
Remember, it is your job as a leader to give feedback so you can help your team grow. Without it, they just won’t improve.
How about making 2026 the year that you focus on giving constructive feedback, not avoiding it!
Are you in?
If you are interested in bringing this course to your organization, reach out and let’s discuss the details.
