How New Managers Can Give Constructive Criticism Without Crushing Morale

New Manager Conversations with Fexingo: First 90 Days, Managing Former Peers, and Leadership Basics · Jul 3, 2026 · 8m · transcript

This episode of New Manager Conversations with Fexingo tackles one of the hardest leadership skills: delivering criticism that actually helps people improve without making them defensive. Lucas and Luna anchor the discussion around a real-world case: a new manager named Priya who needs to tell a talented but underperforming designer named Marcus that his recent work is off the mark. They walk through the Situation-Behavior-Impact formula, the importance of timing and setting, and how to calibrate the message for different personality types. They also discuss why 'shit sandwiches&#x27…