Forging Forward: Leadership Path to Sustainable Success

Forging Forward: Leadership Path to Sustainable Success

Feedback Isn’t Enough—You Need a Plan

Most people don't resist feedback—they just don't know how to use it. If you are a manager sharing a feedback, someone who received a feedback recently, or a parent, then you should read this.

Tarik Guney's avatar
Tarik Guney
May 25, 2025
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Why do people fail to change, even when the path is pointed out to them?

It’s not ignorance. It’s not arrogance.

It’s a missing bridge between knowing and doing.

Feedback without a behavioral plan is like a compass without a map. Direction without terrain. And yet, we act surprised when the person doesn’t move.

We say, “They didn’t listen.”

Maybe they did. They just didn’t know how to walk the path.

Let’s take an example. You tell your engineer: “You need to speak up more in meetings.” They nod. They even agree. A month later? Same silence.

Did they ignore you? Or did they simply not know when to speak, what to say, or how much is too much?

You gave them a diagnosis. But no treatment plan.

This happens at every level. You get told, “Be more strategic.” You nod. You mean it. And yet, your day still fills up with tactical tasks. Jira tickets. Design docs. Little to no strategy.

The feedback was received. But it was never embodied.

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