People who avoid criticism fail!
There I said it....and the world is still turning.
I'm a firm believer in offering 'constructive criticism', not to be confused with 'destructive criticism'. Rather than saying what they want to hear, I tell them what they need to hear in order to improve their technique and continue to make progress toward their goals.
Now don't think that I'm some kind of tyrant standing over my clients shouting insults at them for the duration of their session - I think I would go out of business pretty quickly! I don't make people feel small or drop F bombs all over the place, I simply offer 'honest' feedback. I ride my clients tails during a training session, not because I like to give people a hard time but because I care about results. Sure I could bite my lip, when deep down I'm thinking their technique is average at best, but that is just not me. My clients usually stop in their tracks when I give them a comment such as 'great technique'...it's usually takes a fair amount of training with me before they get a comment like that! I just don't believe in blowing smoke up peoples arses!
As a coach I think you can pick how you want to coach. If you want your clients to achieve their goals I think you need to stop blowing smoke up their arses and start telling them how it is.