Radically Candid criticism is not about someone’s personality. When you give criticism, it is best to talk about how the work product could be improved, not about (alleged) flaws in the person’s character. Saying things like “You’re a jerk” or “You are sloppy” is neither kind nor helpful. And it’s almost always an imperfect analysis of the situation. So whenever possible, focus your feedback on the work.

Now, this isn’t always possible, and Russ shares some tips for how to approach criticism when it’s about the person’s behavior, rather than the work product.

Get more tips in our article on giving feedback that doesn’t focus on personality, and let us know if there are tricky feedback situations that we can help with!