Bad-boss position on feedback: Now everyone must tell me when I'm right.

Good-boss position on feedback: Now everyone must tell me when I'm wrong.

Most humans go through the world trying to elicit validation. Al Preble, a leadership consultant for Cambridge Leadership Group in Cambridge, Massachusetts, says this isn't the way to go. The most powerful way for leaders to communicate, he believes, is to use just three simple steps. When a problem arises:

1. Clearly tell your subordinate what you really think
2. Describe the facts that led you to this opinion
3. Ask to be disconfirmed; in other words, honestly request that people tell you where you're wrong.