E25: Managers: Let's Get Over the Fear of Giving Feedback

You can’t deny that giving feedback can feel so stressful, even for so many leaders. For Zovig Garboushian, feedback is a mirror for growth that challenges leaders to balance candor with kindness and courage. In this episode, Zovig talks about the fears—conflict, judgment, discomfort—that hold managers back and offers her own perspective to help shift the way we approach feedback. By treating it as reflective development rather than criticism, leaders can move past the discomfort and build stronger, more trusting relationships with their teams.

 

With tips like scripting conversations, embracing kindness over niceness, and inviting dialogue, Zovig breaks down how feedback can become a tool for growth rather than a dreaded task. If you’re a people manager or a leader, this episode will leave you rethinking your relationship with feedback—and ready to tackle it with confidence!

 

Quotes

• “Discomfort does not equal pain or even disrespect. Discomfort can create resilience. Discomfort teaches us that we can sit through hard things.” (08:10 | Zovig Garboushian) 
• “No one gets better without reflection.” (12:26 | Zovig Garboushian)
• “As a manager, consider yourself an honest mirror. It’s a productive and kind way to reflect for your team.” (12:51 | Zovig Garboushian) 
• “Niceness is a social convention. It’s what we do when someone asks us if we think their baby is cute. But kindness combines two qualities: respect and candor.” (14:56 | Zovig Garboushian) 
• “If you come at feedback with kindness and curiosity and candor, and you genuinely want to help your team members get better, it will be received that way.” (20:15 | Zovig Garboushian) 
• “You want to talk about where confidence comes from? It comes from being willing to face hard things, especially when they’re inconvenient. And feedback is never convenient. But it is required.” (21:10 | Zovig Garboushian)

 

Links

Let's Talk: Make Effective Feedback Your Superpower by Therese Huston:

https://www.amazon.com/Lets-Talk-Effective-Feedback-Superpower/dp/0593086627

 

Connect with Zovig Garboushian:

Website: www.boldnessablazecoaching.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoviggarboushian/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm