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Re:Thinking with Adam GrantRe:Thinking with Adam Grant

Should you give feedback to the individual or the team?

Jessica Campbell is a hockey coach with the Seattle Kraken, and the first full-time female assistant coach in NHL history to work behind the bench. In this episode, Jessica and Adam reflect on the lessons from being the first or only girl on a team, break down Jessica’s three core tenets of leadership, and discuss different ways of delivering effective feedback and tough love to help individuals and teams reach their full potential. Join us in person at a TED conference: https://tedtalks.social/events Become a TED Member to support our mission: https://ted.com/membership Subscribe to a TED newsletter: https://ted.com/newsletters Follow our podcasts! Podcasts: https://www.ted.com/podcasts Fixable: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/fixable How to Be a Better Human: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/how-to-be-a-better-human ReThinking with Adam Grant: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant TED Talks Daily: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-talks-daily TED Business: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted_business TED Health: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-health TED Tech: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-tech The TED Audio Collective is a collection of podcasts for the curious. The TED Audio Collective videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organiz...). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com.

Adam GranthostJessica Campbellguest
Mar 19, 20261mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

How to give team feedback without undermining individual growth

  1. Individual feedback can improve a person’s skills while unintentionally harming team coordination if it optimizes for personal growth over group needs.
  2. Team-level feedback works best when a coach establishes clear “standards of excellence” early (e.g., in training camp) and consistently reinforces them.
  3. Calling out deviations from the shared standard can be uncomfortable, and different players react in markedly different ways to public correction.
  4. Effective coaching pairs group messaging (“this is us”) with targeted one-on-one work for players who struggle to internalize or respond well to call-outs.
  5. Framing feedback around identity and non-negotiable operating standards—rather than “rules”—helps create a consistent, team-centered culture.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Team feedback needs a shared standard to anchor it.

Without clear standards of excellence, group feedback becomes subjective or personal; with standards, it’s easier to label behaviors as aligned (“this is team”) or misaligned (“this is not team”).

Set the culture early, then reinforce relentlessly.

Campbell emphasizes establishing expectations in training camp and repeatedly reinforcing the message so the team knows what “we do” and what’s non-negotiable.

Public call-outs are powerful but emotionally risky.

Calling out deviations can be “painful,” and players may respond with immediate improvement or with shame and repeated mistakes, so the delivery and follow-up matter.

One size doesn’t fit all—individualize the follow-up, not the standard.

The standard stays consistent for everyone, but coaches need to learn which players need extra one-on-one coaching to process feedback constructively.

Frame feedback as identity, not punishment.

By avoiding “rules” language and instead emphasizing the team’s MO and identity, feedback feels like alignment to a shared purpose rather than personal blame.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

Sometimes when you give individuals feedback, they end up making adjustments that are good for their growth but don't serve the group.

— Adam Grant

In order to get people to, uh, improve together as a team, you have to give group level feedback.

— Adam Grant

Well, that's, I think that's the standards of excellence you have to establish early.

— Jessica Campbell

Unless you have clear set standards, not rules, I don't like rules, but clear standards of how we are gonna operate, I always say, "What's our MO?"

— Jessica Campbell

And when those things show up, you celebrate them. This is team. This is team. And when they're not, this is not team.

— Jessica Campbell

Individual vs group feedback tradeoffsEstablishing standards of excellence earlyReinforcing team identity (“this is us”)Calling out deviations and managing discomfortDifferent player reactions to criticism (motivation vs shame)Standards vs rules; non-negotiablesCelebrating behaviors that reflect team play

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