Most managers learn early that criticism is uncomfortable to give, so they find ways around it. They soften the message until it no longer says anything, or they hold it for the annual review, where it arrives too late to be of use.
Picture two lines that cross. One measures how much you care about the person in front of you. The other measures how willing you are to tell them something they would rather not hear.
1When care runs high and challenge runs low, the result feels warm and achieves little. The problem stays where it was, and the person discovers it alone, usually at a worse moment.
The answer is not to care less.