A colleague gave me some feedback recently. It wasn't easy to hear. The higher you sit in an organization, the less likely you are to hear the truth, and it works the same way in reverse: the more senior you get as a manager, the more your reports quietly brace before telling you something you don't want to hear.
Have you ever done a cold plunge? Feedback that actually stings works a lot like one, for the person giving it as much as the person receiving it. Your instinct screams to soften it, delay it, or wrap it in enough padding that the point gets lost. But the discomfort is the signal that it matters. Feedback that doesn't sting a little usually wasn't specific enough to be useful.
The sting isn't a sign you did it wrong. It's usually a sign there was truth in it, for them and, when you're the one receiving feedback yourself, for you too. Say it clearly, mean it kindly, and don't apologize for the feedback itself, just for any unkindness in how you delivered it.