Young leaders need feedback. They won’t make all of the right moves and they won’t have all of the experience that you wish they would have to inform their decision making in tough situations. They also don’t have the requisite vision to see what is coming next. That is what makes them young leaders. When (not if) they fail, you can ignore the problem, which ultimately leads to no growth due to your lack of involvement. Or, you can address the failure. It is in these moments where you can lead them towards success by coming alongside them as a coach, giving insights and guidance that will equip them for their next opportunities. I believe that this beats out the alternative, which is chewing them out like a military drill sergeant. So, here are some suggestions:

• tackle the performance issue while it is still fresh, don’t put it off till later (coach in the moment)
• invite the young leader into the solution process
• don’t skirt the issues with subtleties, be direct
• give tangible examples of how performance can be improved
• don’t over react… the world isn’t coming to an end because they made a mistake, so put them back in the game right away
• give encouragement about the future whenever possible