Someone on your team is not delivering and ignoring it is not working. Have your first difficult performance conversation.
Part of
First-Time Manager →
Yesterday you were peers, today you are the boss. Navigate the identity shift, the awkward conversations, and the weight of being responsible for other peoples careers. You'll navigate four escalating scenarios — from the first monday to the shield — practicing the decisions that matter most when the pressure is real and the stakes are personal. This isn't theory. It's practice for the moments that define how this chapter of your life unfolds.
Skills you'll build
What happens in this story4 scenarios
Their work is slipping and everyone can see it. You have been covering for them for weeks, telling yourself it will get better — but it is getting worse.
You schedule the conversation and your stomach knots. The gap between "I need to talk to you about your performance" and actually saying it feels like a canyon.
They get defensive, then emotional, and the meeting goes somewhere you did not prepare for. The script in your head evaporates and you are left with only honesty.
You leave the meeting drained but clear. You did not fire anyone, you did not fix them — you told the truth with care, and that turns out to be the entire job.
More stories in this course
View all →The First Monday
You are in charge now and your former peers are watching. Navigate the first week of leadership when your authority feels borrowed.
4 scenarios →The Credit Question
Your team did great work. Do you present it or do they? Navigate the ego shift from doing great work to enabling it.
4 scenarios →The Shield
Leadership is protecting your team from organizational chaos while pretending everything is fine. Learn the lonely art of absorbing pressure.
4 scenarios →The Underperformer
Someone on your team is not delivering and ignoring it is not working. Have your first difficult performance conversation.
Start free →4 scenarios · 25 min · No account required to try