The Feedback Reset

How to give guidance your team can hear, trust, and act on.

Most managers say they want to “get better at giving feedback”—but what they really mean is they want to say hard things in a way that motivates people instead of shutting them down. The problem is that most of us have completely misunderstood what feedback actually is.

When most people hear “I have some feedback,” they brace for impact. We’ve culturally coded feedback as criticism, and then we wonder why conversations feel tense, avoidant, or unproductive. This module resets everything you’ve been taught and replaces it with a strengths-based approach grounded in research—not fear.

Using insights from The Feedback Fallacy and over 20 years of real-world management experience, you’ll learn why traditional feedback rarely works and what to do instead: build psychological safety, catch excellence, and give guidance people can actually use.

Whether you’re leading one person or an entire department, this module transforms how you communicate—and dramatically improves how your team responds.

You’ll learn how to:

• Understand the three feedback categories—instructional feedback, subjective/positional feedback, and difficult conversations—and know exactly which tool to use when

• Rewire your definition of feedback so your team lights up instead of shutting down

• Apply the research behind the Feedback Fallacy to improve performance without triggering defensiveness

• Use strengths-based feedback so employees grow faster and feel more confident

• Give guidance in a way that acknowledges subjectivity and empowers people to choose their best method

• Replace “fixing flaws” with recognizing excellence—so you naturally get more of the behavior you want

• Say corrective things without activating fight/flight/freeze

• Focus on outcomes rather than micromanaging the pathway

• Build trust so small tweaks land beautifully instead of creating tension

• Shift your team culture so feedback becomes energizing instead of ominous