Read the original at Lenny’s Newsletter ↗lennysnewsletter.com · subscriber post
By Lenny Rachitsky · lennysnewsletter.com · @lennysan on X · YouTube · LinkedIn
Executive coach Jack Cohen introduces GAIN, a framework for giving feedback by framing it around the gain people can achieve rather than the pain to avoid. It walks through each element (Goal, Actions, Impacts, Next actions), supporting research, a client case study, and how AI tools can help prepare, practice, and reflect on feedback conversations.
Subscriber post — summary only01Key takeaways
- Frame feedback around the benefits and goal the other person would gain, not only the problem to fix.
- Describe observable actions and their impacts instead of judgments, which trigger defensiveness.
- Acknowledge your own contribution to the situation to reduce defensiveness and invite change.
- End with concrete next actions: who will do what by when, plus a scheduled check-in.
- Use AI for preparing feedback, role-playing conversations, and retrospectives, while keeping human dialogue central.
“GAIN is both a useful acronym and the core of the philosophy.”Jack Cohen · Lenny’s Newsletter
“You can't do a don't.”Marshall Rosenberg · Lenny’s Newsletter
02Frameworks mentioned
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.