The Situation
You need to address poor performance but don’t want to damage morale or confidence.
The Answer
The goal isn’t to make feedback feel goodit’s to make it useful and fair. Demotivation usually comes from surprise or vagueness, not from the feedback itself.
Be specific about behaviour and impact: what happened, why it matters, and what good looks like. Separate the person from the behaviour. Anchor to shared standards, not personal preference.
Deliver it early and calmly. Avoid “saving it up” for a big conversation. Then switch quickly to forward-looking: what changes, by when, and how you’ll support them.
Close with confidence in their ability to improvebut make expectations explicit.
What to Do Next
- State the behaviour and its impact in one sentence
- Define the expected standard (with an example)
- Agree 1–2 concrete changes and a review date
- Offer support (pairing, examples, check-ins)
Common Mistake
Softening the message so much that the person doesn’t know what actually needs to change.
Source: First-time manager feedback scenarios
Bring this to your AI Companion
The answer above is universal. Your situation isn't. The Companion takes this same situation and works through it with you — with your team, your stakeholders, your context.
Reflect with the Companion