Public Criticism Is Not a Tough Leadership Move
In the March 3, 2026, Harvard Business Review article, “When Feedback Crosses the Line,” researchers Bin Zhao, Rebecca L. Dunkailo, Judith Clair and Ryan L. Boyd found that around 23% of respondents had experienced destructive criticism in public, including in meetings, email threads and group chats. Public criticism does not just hurt the person on the receiving end. It also teaches everyone else that making mistakes is not safe.
That is why public criticism is not just a communication issue. It is a cultural issue.
Your team is always reading your behaviour for cues.
What happens here when someone gets it wrong?
Do we learn?
Do we recover?
Or do we get exposed?
The Feedback Fitness language gives you a way to have feedback conversations with compassion and kindness. Useful and skilful feedback conversations build performance, and do not create unnecessary shame. Professor Brene Brown’s research shows that shame does not lead to behaviour change. That does not mean we avoid accountability. It means knowing the difference between accountability and humiliation.
A Feedback Fit leader creates warmer conversations. They use a pre-frame to set the stage, ask permission, and be clear in their intention. They value respect and fairness.
Imagine the difference between these two approaches.
In a team meeting:
“Why would you send that without checking it first?”
Or privately:
“Can I offer an observation about your client email, because I want to help us build trust with them?”
What the research shows us:
Public criticism often creates surface-level compliance and private withdrawal. The HBR research found that destructive criticism can shut people down. Employees speak less, hesitate more and become cautious about sharing ideas.
A stronger leadership question you might like to ask yourself is: does this feedback need an audience, or does it need privacy, respect and clarity?
Research source: Bin Zhao, Rebecca L. Dunkailo, Judith Clair and Ryan L. Boyd, “When Feedback Crosses the Line,” Harvard Business Review, March 3, 2026.
If you’re ready to become Feedback Fit, Book a 30-minute complimentary discussion with Sue and discover how to create a feedback-rich culture that keeps your best people growing and thriving.
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