The Program Manager Who Was Brutally Honest — And Nearly Lost His Team
A brilliant technical program manager thought brutal public feedback was leadership. Here's how the Wheel of Change rebuilt his behaviour — and why his story is a warning for every high-IQ manager in India Inc.
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"The Program Manager Who Was Brutally Honest — And Nearly Lost His Team","description":"A brilliant technical program manager thought brutal public feedback was leadership. Here's how the Wheel of Change rebuilt his behaviour — and why his story is a warning for every high-IQ manager in India Inc.","image":"https://avinash-gallery-worker.avinashchate-abc.workers.dev/avinash-1782733162017-d7tc9u.jpg","keywords":"Wheel of Change, Feedback, Program Manager, PQ, Winning Kite, Stars at India Inc","articleSection":"Technique #2 The Wheel of Change","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Avinash Chate","jobTitle":"Founder & Director, The Future Corporate","sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/in/avinashchate","https://www.youtube.com/@avinashchate"]},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future Corporate"},"datePublished":"2026-07-11","dateModified":"2026-07-11","mainEntityOfPage":"https://avinashchate.com/blog/program-manager-case-study"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Why do technically brilliant managers often give harsh feedback?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"They are usually promoted for technical skill, not people skill, and they mistake bluntness for honesty. They believe being 'brutally honest' in public is their duty as a boss, without realising it destroys trust and psychological safety."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the Sandwich Approach to giving feedback?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"It means opening with genuine positive remarks, gently introducing the area that needs improvement, and closing with encouragement. It keeps feedback honest while protecting the other person's dignity and motivation."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Which quadrant of the Wheel of Change applies to a harsh feedback giver?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Mainly Eliminating (stop the public, blaming, condescending style of feedback) and Creating (build the new habit of the Sandwich Approach and patient listening). Preserving keeps his technical rigour and honesty; Accepting means acknowledging that his old style, however well-intentioned, was harmful."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Where does this fit on the Winning Kite framework?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"This is a PQ (Productivity Quotient) story — the Wheel of Change is a bottom-of-the-kite productivity technique. But its real impact plays out on the RQ (Relationship Quotient) side, because feedback style is what determines whether people trust and follow a manager."}}]} The Program Manager Who Was Brutally Honest — And Nearly Lost His Team A program manager I studied for this book was everything a company wants on paper — sharp, technically superb, promoted fast. And he was, at the same time, quietly pushing his best people toward the door. His weapon was feedback. His problem was that he thought honesty and cruelty we…
Avinash Chate services
Corporate Training · Leadership Development · Team Building · Motivational Speaking · All service locations
← Back to all articles · Book Avinash Chate
By Avinash Chate — Maharashtra’s #1 Corporate Trainer & Motivational Speaker. .