When to use it
Use it to check your own default style and to build a team habit of direct, kind feedback.
How to apply it
- Decide which quadrant you usually fall into when feedback feels awkward.
- Ask for criticism of yourself first so the team sees you can take it.
- Give praise and criticism soon after the event, in brief conversations.
- Be specific and sincere, and focus on the work rather than the person.
- Criticise in private and praise in public unless the person prefers otherwise.
Tip: Most people slip into ruinous empathy, staying silent to be nice; the fix is usually saying the thing sooner, not harder.