Killing the Fast Food Feedback (Part One)
A small rant including me breaking up with the feedback sandwich and arguing why I think we should talk to each other like adults that we actually are.
This might be one of my favorite posts—partly because feedback is my favorite leadership topic (it’s the ultimate game-changer), and partly because I get to take on a method I see everywhere. It feels like facing the final boss.
I’m talking about the feedback sandwich—hailed as the holy grail of feedback, included in nearly every leadership training, and used by countless managers. If you haven’t tried it, you’ve definitely been sandwiched at some point.
In case you missed the memo:
The feedback sandwich is a structured way to deliver feedback—positive → critical → positive. It’s meant to soften the blow of criticism and make it more digestible. Great in theory. Useless in practice. At least, for me.
And no, I don’t think I was doing it wrong. I cracked today’s advanced sudoku, so I doubt structuring feedback is beyond me.
1. The only person feeling good afterward is the giver.
The feedback sandwich had one job: to make feedback easier to digest. (Nice try though.✌🏼) But no matter how well you structure it, the only part that sticks is the critical bit. It stings. It lingers. And ironically, the only person leaving the conversation feeling good is the person who gave the feedback.
If your priority as a leader is to feel good about delivering feedback, you’re missing the point. It’s not about you—it’s about helping others grow.
2. It’s see-through and patronizing.
I can smell a feedback sandwich from a mile away. And when I do, I don’t feel supported—I feel like I’m being handled. It’s watered-down truth, wrapped in politeness, served to make me feel better. But it doesn’t.
I value honesty in leadership. The biggest sign of respect you can give someone is to be straight with them. A feedback sandwich, for me, does the opposite. If you can’t give me the truth, do you even take me seriously?
Also, fun fact: when people don’t tell you what they really think, they usually tell someone else instead.
3. It creates doubt.
If I sense I’m being sandwiched, I instantly question the positive parts—were they real, or just filler? Others feel the same. A former colleague once told me that, after being sandwiched a few times, he began dreading any unexpected praise—because he knew it meant criticism was coming right after.
4. It reinforces an outdated “good vs. bad” mindset.
The world isn’t black and white. Neither is feedback. The sandwich method assumes there’s a fixed set of skills every colleague should have, placing behaviors into boxes—good, bad, right, wrong. But leadership isn’t about boxing people in, it’s about helping them grow.
5. It’s not a dialogue.
The feedback sandwich is a structured monologue. And at best? It’s a performance report—not feedback.
If you still think feedback is something you give once a year in an annual review, we have a problem. Feedback should be an ongoing conversation—something that builds relationships and fuels continuous learning. A leadership tool that doesn’t reflect that is outdated.
Why I Broke Up with Fast Food Feedback
For me, the feedback sandwich is fast food leadership. It’s quick, processed, and leaves you hungry for real substance.
Instead, I look for tools that help me hold meaningful, honest conversations—because that’s where growth happens. And how I do that? It only took one shift in mindset and one simple trick.
And you’ll find both in Part 2. So hate me for the cliffhanger—but read on. ✌🏻