This is the central thesis of Kim Scott's book "Radical <s>Focus</s> Candor". A book which poignantly summarises itself in the diagram on the cover (see https://twitter.com/kimballscott/status/1410707132572266501). Good feedback requires genuinely caring personally and being direct, which is much easier said than done.
She calls softening feedback in a misguided attempt to avoid hurting someone's feelings "ruinous empathy". Early on in my career I fell into this trap far more often than I like to admit and this book really gave me a mental model for improving that.
She calls softening feedback in a misguided attempt to avoid hurting someone's feelings "ruinous empathy". Early on in my career I fell into this trap far more often than I like to admit and this book really gave me a mental model for improving that.
Edit: fixed the name of the book