Do You Want Me to Be Blunt or Kind?, Season 8, Episode 5

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What makes difficult feedback actually land?

In this episode of The Management Minute, Dr. Donita Brown explores one of the most challenging parts of leadership: giving and receiving difficult feedback. Through a personal experience with a trusted advisor, she examines how timing, trust, permission, and communication can determine whether constructive feedback creates defensiveness or leads to meaningful change.

While working on a new project, Dr. Brown received feedback she did not necessarily want to hear, but needed. Her advisor could have completed his work, sent the invoice, and moved on. Instead, he took the time to address a larger problem he saw and began the conversation with a simple question: “Do you want me to be blunt or kind?”

The feedback stung, but the way it was delivered made all the difference.

Effective leadership communication is not only about what you say. How and when you say it matters. When managers and leaders are busy, it is easy to rush difficult conversations or skip the small courtesies that help people become receptive to constructive criticism. Asking whether someone is ready for feedback can take only a few seconds, but it can completely change how the message is received.

In this episode, Dr. Brown discusses how leaders can approach difficult conversations more intentionally, why trust matters when giving and receiving feedback, and how rushed workplace communication can prevent even valuable advice from landing effectively. She also reflects on what more than 20 years of giving, receiving, and teaching feedback has shown her about communicating hard truths.

This week, consider two questions:

Who has earned the right to give you honest feedback?

And when was the last time you asked someone if they were ready before telling them something difficult?

The Management Minute with Dr. Donita Brown delivers practical leadership and professional development insights in under five minutes, twice a week. Each episode gives managers, executives, team leaders, and professionals one actionable idea they can use before their next meeting.

Dr. Donita Brown also leads virtual and in-person leadership workshops for organizations and teams focused on feedback, resilience, workplace communication, and leading through change.

Book a call here: https://tinyurl.com/30minuteswithDonita

About The Management Minute:

Practical leadership and management ideas you can actually use. The Management Minute with Dr. Donita Brown delivers short, actionable conversations on leadership, communication, resilience, workplace culture, and professional growth.

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Dr. Donita Brown leads in-person and virtual workshops designed to help leaders and teams communicate better, build resilience, and strengthen the way they work together.

Interested in bringing a workshop to your organization? Learn more or get in touch here: [https://www.management-minute.com/workshops]

Connect with Dr. Donita Brown

LinkedIn: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/donitabrown]
 Management Minute: [https://www.management-minute.com/]