Leaders often skip structured feedback methods when critiquing fellow leaders, letting familiarity override protocol. This oversight is critical; structured feedback is as essential among leaders as it is with their teams to prevent miscommunication, animosity, and dysfunction. Additionally, conversations where one leader complains to another about a team member can be complex, risking a divide between colleague loyalty and team responsibility. In these cases, I always ask if they’ve directly addressed the person in question first. Direct communication is a key initial step, often resolving misunderstandings easily.