When feedback targets a person’s character or personality, it inevitably triggers defensiveness, inflames conflict, and shifts the conversation away from work outcomes. To drive genuine performance improvement, leaders must master the discipline of shifting from subjective inferences to objective behavioural feedback. In this article, Andi Roberts breaks down the crucial distinction between observation and inference using the Video Camera Test, showing you how to translate emotional shorthand like "bad attitude" or "unprofessional" into concrete, verifiable facts. Discover how to structure your conversations using proven leadership frameworks like AID, BOOST, and CEDAR so you can address performance gaps directly while preserving dignity, trust, and psychological safety.

There is no single best feedback model for a difficult conversation. Here is how to choose between BOOST, AID, CEDAR, BIFF, COIN and RADAR based on what is making it difficult.

You do not need managerial authority to give a colleague useful feedback. What matters is having legitimate standing, focusing on what happens where your work meets and giving the other person something specific they can examine.