Feedback Is Insurance

Almost all managers are scared about giving feedback. But there's a reason to be positive about it: it's just like buying insurance.

Most managers fear giving feedback. We're afraid to "confront" our people. We worry about pushback. We don't know how to do it, so we're afraid we'll be clumsy. But feedback isn't about confronting. Done right, it doesn't get pushback. And most importantly, it's about future behavior. Which means all you're doing is paying for insurance on future behavior. And since it only takes 10 seconds, it's really, really cheap insurance.