Professional services
A long-overdue performance conversation with a senior partner who had been quietly under-delivering for 18 months.
Conversation landed without rupture. Partner accepted a performance plan and re-engaged within 60 days.
Managing Director (anonymised)
Managing Director · GCC consultancy
"I'd been rehearsing this conversation in my head for a year and avoiding it for the same length of time. After two sessions and the AI reps, I just did it."
The conversation had been avoided for 18 months. Every quarter, the MD told themselves "next month." The longer it waited, the harder it got.
I rehearsed the actual conversation — not the polished version, the messy one:
- The opening line. A clean, non-apologetic frame: "I need to talk to you about your performance this year, and I want this to be a real conversation, not a memo." Rehearsed it out loud until it could be delivered without flinching.
- The pushback. Drilled the three most likely defensive responses — denial, blame, emotional escalation — and what to say back without losing composure or backing down.
- The silence. Practised sitting through the long pause after delivering the hard part, instead of filling it with reassurance.
The MD had the conversation the week after the second session. The partner accepted the feedback, agreed to a performance plan, and rebuilt their numbers over the following two quarters.