Blunt feedback is only valuable when it comes from someone with both the right intent and genuine domain expertise. Two common failure modes undermine it: people using blunt feedback as a manipulation tool or to plant negative labels via backchannels, and well-meaning givers whose judgment is below the recipient's skill level. For high-performing professionals, the conventional 'feedback is a gift' wisdom can actually be harmful — it takes confidence to recognize and discard feedback that is wrong or politically motivated.
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