Avoid The Feedback Sandwich

I met with Seamus (not their real name) yesterday. Seamus is a senior engineering manager who has been having trouble promoting some of his employees. While the meeting agenda was about finding opportunities for his direct reports, from my perspective, the real problem was that his promotion documents were missing crucial details. Specifically, they focused on delivery but did not describe the actual work these employees contributed or why that work was next-level. The feedback wasn't coming through when we reviewed the individual promotion documents in a group setting, so I had to provide Seamus with critical feedback one-on-one.

I dislike giving critical feedback because it's really uncomfortable, but it's an important part of my job, so I've learned how to do it effectively and efficiently. This allows me to avoid having to spend time giving difficult feedback again due to misunderstandings.

People are sometimes advised to give critical feedback in the form of a "feedback sandwich." …