Quick question: How can leaders give effective feedback?

Quick question: How can leaders give effective feedback?

From How to Make a Leader by Big Think+

February 5, 2026 · 7 min · Episode 20

About this episode

Amy Gallo discusses the importance of intention in giving effective feedback and provides a framework for leaders to improve their communication skills.

Introducing Quick Questions : one big question, one expert answer, in five minutes. Giving constructive feedback is uncomfortable for most leaders. Amy Gallo is a best-selling author and contributing editor at Harvard Business Review who has written extensively about communication, conflict, and feedback. She explains why intention matters just as much as wording, and shares a straightforward framework that makes difficult conversations feel more grounded and productive. She also explains how L&D teams can help leaders practice feedback before the stakes are high. About Amy: Amy Gallo is a workplace expert who writes and speaks about effective communication, interpersonal dynamics, gender, difficult conversations, and feedback. She is the best-selling author of Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People) and the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict, as well as hundreds of articles for Harvard Business Review. https://www.amyegallo.com/

People in this episode

Guest: Amy Gallo

Topics covered

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Harvard Business Review

Books & works: Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People), HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict

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