Are you still using the old “praise sandwich” model of giving feedback? That is, sandwiching your criticism between two slices of praise. If so, it’s time to ditch the sandwich in favor of Fearless Feedback.

You may think you’re taking some of the sting out of your complaint by adding some encouraging commentary. But it’s more likely that you’re actually watering down your criticism to the point that the recipient can hardly recognize it for what it is: an opportunity to improve.

Resist the urge to sugarcoat. Your job is not to make people feel better (though you’ll have other opportunities for that), your job is make them do better. Here are five ways you can start giving Fearless Feedback today.

1. Be crystal clear. Your team probably has no idea that giving feedback can be every bit as daunting as receiving it. But don’t succumb to feeling like you’re the big, bad boss for telling it like it is. State your criticism clearly, give a specific example, and explain how you’d like it rectified or dealt with in the future. For example, “That wasn’t the best way to handle the customer complaint. You kept them waiting for an answer for two days, and when you responded, your tone was far too brusque. In future, we respond to complaints within 24 hours and when we’re wrong, as we were in this case, we always give a sincere apology.”

2. Be candid, but kind. It’s okay to be tough on the sub-par performance, but it’s important to be kind to the person.