Improvement always begins with feedback. People never improve until they know how they’re doing. Self-defeating behaviors persist in low-feedback environments.
The feedback sandwich is filled with baloney. It follows this pattern. Begin and end with praise. Slip the baloney in the middle. It feels disingenuous when praise is preparation for bad news. We ignore the sweet and anticipate the bitter when praise is used to prep for bad. A spoonful of sugar before corrective conversations dilutes compliments.
