The Little Birdie Guide to Feedback & Connection
Leading with empathy.
Listening with intention.
If you’ve ever spent time with a dog, you know they’re masters of feedback. A single wag says, I’m with you. A sideways glance says, Hmm, not sure about that choice. A quiet nudge says, Hey, I’m still here.
Birdie — the real-life muse behind Little Birdie Consulting — reminds me daily that connection doesn’t come from fancy words or perfect timing. It comes from being attuned. Paying attention. Leading with warmth.
In leadership, feedback is supposed to do the same thing.
But somewhere between performance reviews and “constructive criticism,” we lost the heart of it.
The Trouble with Feedback
For most teams, feedback feels more like a test than a gift. We brace for it. We deliver it cautiously. We overthink tone, timing, and phrasing until it sounds like something a robot wrote.
But the truth is, people don’t need perfect phrasing — they need presence. They need to know the person giving the feedback actually cares.
That’s where empathy comes in. When we approach feedback as an act of care — rather than correction — everything changes.
The Tail Wag Test
Here’s my favorite rule of thumb, inspired by Birdie herself:
Does your feedback make someone’s tail wag?
Not in the literal sense (though that would be nice), but in spirit — does it leave people feeling seen, valued, and motivated to grow? Or does it flatten their energy and make them retreat?
If feedback drains curiosity instead of fueling it, it’s missing empathy.
The Heart Behind Honest Conversations
Good feedback is less about pointing out what went wrong and more about showing that you noticed.
You noticed the effort, not just the outcome.
You noticed the intention, not just the error.
You noticed the human being behind the work.
Tone, timing, and presence — those are the quiet tools of emotionally intelligent leadership. You can’t fake them, and you can’t skip them.
A More Human Way Forward
At Little Birdie Consulting, we like to imagine a workplace where feedback doesn’t send people spiraling, but helps them soar. Where gratitude comes as easily as critique. Where connection leads, and growth follows.
Because when you lead with empathy and listen with intention, feedback becomes less about performance — and more about partnership.
And maybe that’s what Birdie’s been trying to tell us all along:
Sometimes the best leaders aren’t the loudest ones. They’re the ones who sit beside you, tilt their head, and remind you — you’re doing better than you think.
