The secret of effective feedback is making it feel like the message is coming from an ally, not an adversary. Unfortunately, in my 17 years as an advisor to executive teams, I find that most managers’ anxiety and discomfort about delivering a difficult message inadvertently makes it come off as antagonistic, rather than supportive. A 2014 Zenger/Folkman study confirmed this problem when 43% of managers reported that giving corrective feedback is a “stressful and difficult experience.”
