How to give difficult feedback to an employee

Most hard feedback fails before it starts, buried under so much cushioning that the person walks out unsure anything was wrong.

Say the issue in the first sentence. Not the weather, not five minutes of what is going well, not an apology for having the conversation. The specific behavior, named, early. Under pressure, clarity is kindness. Vagueness is what is cruel, because it leaves the person guessing.

Stay observable. Talk about what happened, when, and its effect, not about who they are. The report was two days late twice this month and it held up the launch is a fact they can act on. You are unreliable is a verdict they can only defend against.

Then stop talking. The mistake after a good opening is filling the silence. Ask one open question and listen. The point is a changed behavior, not a delivered speech.