Performance Managementintermediate
Declining Work Quality
A previously strong performer is producing sloppy work and seems disengaged.
Practice this out loud, free
No account needed. We email you a link, then you talk by voice.
The situation
A team member who used to be one of my strongest performers has been producing careless work for the past month — typos in client-facing docs, missed details, incomplete analysis. I need to address this without assuming the worst or making it feel punitive.
Who you will be talking to: Resistant Direct Report
They'll likely agree with you on the surface but deflect accountability. Watch for "yeah but" patterns, blaming external factors, and passive agreement with no commitment to change.
What tends to work
- Name the behavior specifically — avoid vague feedback like "you need to step up"
- Use "I notice…" instead of "You always…" to reduce defensiveness
- Pause after your key point — don't fill silence with qualifiers
One way to open: “I want to talk about something I've been noticing, and I'd like us to figure it out together.”
Say it out loud, then see what you said
Reading about a hard conversation is not the same as having it. You talk to an AI counterpart by voice, like a phone call, and afterwards get a scorecard that quotes your own words: what helped, and what to try next time.