How to give feedback that lands | Renee St Jacques

Effective leadership requires high emotional intelligence, particularly when delivering feedback. The traditional "feedback sandwich"—praising before and after criticism—often fails by obscuring critical points, leading to confusion and broken trust. Instead, leaders should adopt the "three Cs" framework: connect, correct, and cultivate. Connecting establishes psychological safety, ensuring employees feel valued beyond their immediate output. Correction provides clear, direct guidance focused on specific behaviors rather than personal worth, avoiding vague hints that lead to stagnation. Finally, cultivation involves ongoing, real-time coaching that empowers team members to take ownership of their development. By replacing shame-based management with curiosity and open-ended questions, leaders foster a culture of accountability and intrinsic motivation, ultimately driving better organizational results and creating a more human-centric workplace.