You’re busy, your team is busy, and thinking about feedback feels like a distraction; you want to make sure you avoid any awkwardness or conflict; you worry that criticism could undermine trust or damage the relationship you’ve worked hard to build. You may also be concerned that giving feedback may exacerbate existing power dynamics. 

In the end, however, when you have insight into how someone might improve, you have the opportunity to positively impact their work quality, future career trajectory, and job satisfaction—and yours as well. If you withhold that insight, your colleague misses out on opportunities to improve while you increase the chances that they will find out the same truth later anyway, potentially with more severe consequences. Meanwhile, your own frustration with the problem may grow.

Learn more in our resource, Effective Feedback: Two Models for Managers