You earn the right to give tough feedback by also giving honest praise when it’s due.

Criticism lands differently depending on what else you have said. If the only time you speak up is when something went badly, people start hearing you as weather rather than as a person with a view. Praise that is specific and true builds a record, so your hard words read as being about the work and not about them.

Say one accurate good thing out loud this week to someone you often correct. Name the particular moment rather than their whole character. The next time you have to say something difficult, they will already know you watch for both.