Discover how effective leaders use feedback to invite improvement rather than deliver judgment.
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Episode 23 | Watch on YouTube
Giving constructive feedback is not the problem. Giving it in a way that people can actually receive is. Companies that foster a strong feedback culture experience 14.9% lower turnover rates, according to the LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report. Brandon Seigel's quick tip: feedback should always feel like an invitation to the next gear — not a verdict.
Apply the same framework as challenging conversations: Who am I talking to? What don't I know about their situation? What outcome do I want from this feedback? And what is the most effective way to say it? These questions reframe the act of giving feedback from a corrective exercise into a collaborative investment. Are you trying to help this person, or are you trying to relieve your own frustration? If the answer is the latter, it is not the right moment.
Lead with a genuine acknowledgment of what the person does well. Introduce the growth area as a specific, observable behavior — not a character judgment. Close with a forward-looking statement about what success looks like and why you believe they can achieve it. The sandwich technique works not because it softens the blow but because it situates the feedback within the context of belief in the person. 'You are losing patients' lands very differently than 'I see so much potential in you and I want to help those families see what I see.'
Brandon consistently ends feedback conversations by asking: 'How does that sound? Does that feel fair?' He is not seeking permission to have standards. He is ensuring the other person has internalized the feedback rather than shut down. Co-creating a solution — whether it is a new scheduling approach, a modified goal, or a trial period — generates buy-in that unilateral correction never will. Harvard Business Review's research on feedback delivery consistently shows that people improve faster when they feel they own the path forward.
Feedback given six weeks after the incident is feedback about history, not behavior. Feedback that says 'I need you to be more professional' is not feedback — it is a feeling with no pathway to change. Specific, timely, observable, and example-driven feedback is what actually moves the needle. Give it quickly. Give it with examples. Give it with a plan. And then check back.
