Leadership has never been more top-of-mind. Google search data shows that interest in "leadership" has reached an all-time high, with people searching for everything from training programs to team management advice and professional development resources.
It makes sense. Today's leaders are navigating unprecedented challenges—remote and hybrid work arrangements, economic uncertainty, global political shifts, and the rapid integration of AI into daily operations. The rules of leadership are being rewritten in real-time.
The Struggle Every Manager Faces
Here's something surprising: according to Brian Glaser, Google's chief learning officer who oversees leadership development for 150,000 employees worldwide, leaders at every experience level struggle with the same fundamental challenge.
It's not a strategy. It's not vision. It's not even managing up.
It's delivering effective feedback.
More specifically, it's giving people clear, honest feedback about where they stand—including the hard stuff.
Why We Avoid Critical Feedback
Many managers fall into what Glaser calls the "niceness trap." In our desire to be liked by our teams, we soften critical feedback, avoid difficult conversations, or focus exclusively on positive reinforcement.
"As a leader, being nice is great," Glaser explains. "But the name of the game is really to be respected."
Without honest feedback, that respect becomes difficult to earn. This challenge hits especially hard for first-time managers or those who've been promoted to lead former peers. The fear of damaging relationships or coming across as harsh keeps us silent about issues that actually matter.
But here's the problem: when we only highlight what's working and skip the constructive criticism, our teams can't grow. They repeat avoidable mistakes. Performance stagnates. And ironically, we lose the very respect we were trying to protect by staying quiet.
The Sports Psychology Solution
Glaser's team at Google recently launched People Management Essentials, drawing insights from top Google leaders about what separates good managers from great ones. One of their key inspirations? Sports psychology.
Think about elite athletes. They don't just celebrate wins—they analyze every performance with their coaches. Win or lose, they debrief. They discuss what worked and what didn't. They treat feedback as fuel for improvement.
Champions like Tom Brady and Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas have openly credited their success to learning from failures and receiving constant coaching. The feedback loop isn't a nice-to-have—it's essential to excellence.
The same principle applies to your team.
Making Feedback Work in the Workplace
Yes, telling someone they need to improve is uncomfortable. But as Glaser points out, "through good practice, managers can do this, and it really matters."
The key is approaching feedback as a tool for growth, not criticism. When your team members have clarity about their performance—both strengths and areas for development—they're better equipped to succeed in the future.
Great feedback isn't about being harsh or catching people doing things wrong. It's about creating a culture where continuous improvement is the norm, where people know exactly where they stand, and where respect is built on honesty rather than avoidance.
Leadership has always required courage, but perhaps never more than now. As we navigate this era of rapid change, the leaders who will thrive are those who can balance empathy with honesty, kindness with clarity.
Don't let the pursuit of being liked prevent you from being respected. Your team deserves—and needs—your honest feedback to reach their full potential.
After all, if it works for Olympic athletes and Super Bowl champions, it can work in your organization too.