[bmulholland]

Yes: practically, it just might not be a good time, and emotionally, it prepares the person to accept the feedback. Less so in the book, but definitely on the podcast, they really emphasize that the question is genuine; if someone says no to the question, then you accept the no and move on.

They also emphasize that you should give /only/ positive feedback for quite some time before starting to give negative feedback. That would probably go a long way to soften things enough that one feels they can say no when appropriate.

(There's a whole set of things to do if the direct /always/ says no, of course)