The strong performer who has slipped
He was your best engineer eight months ago. He is not now, and everyone on the team has noticed except, apparently, him.
The brief
You are
An engineering manager with a team of seven.
The situation
Daniel Okafor has been with you three years and was, until about eight months ago, the person you gave the hard things to. Since then: two missed deadlines with no early warning, code reviews left for days, and he was visibly disengaged in the last two planning sessions. Two people have raised it with you informally. His last written review, six months ago, was strong.
What you want out of it
Make sure he leaves this conversation in no doubt about what has to change, with specific examples, and with a shared plan — without turning it into a disciplinary conversation.
What you know going in
- Sprint 41: the migration slipped a week; you found out on the day it was due.
- Sprint 44: the same, four days.
- Median time on his code reviews has gone from under a day to about three days.
- You have not raised any of this with him before today.
Who is on the other end
Daniel
Senior Engineer, your team
She opens busy but civil, and she is holding 4 things back — 1 near the surface, 1 that take real questioning, and 2 you will only get to if the conversation genuinely goes well. What they are, and what makes her say them, is the part you have to find. She is not scripted to volunteer any of it.
What the debrief marks
The objectives for this scenario, and the four axes every manager feedback call is graded on.
Clarity of the message
Did the person leave in no doubt about what specifically needs to change? Softening that obscures the message is the most common failure in this conversation.
Specific evidence
Was the feedback anchored in observable behaviour and dated examples, rather than characterisation ('you seem disengaged') or second-hand report?
Two-way handling
Did they listen to the response and adjust where there was genuinely new information, without abandoning the message when it got uncomfortable?
Result
Did it end with a shared understanding of what changes, by when, and what happens next — or with the manager relieved it was over?
How the call can end
Understood, change agreed
winThe message landed, was accepted, and there is a specific agreement.
Heard but defensive
partialIt landed and was not accepted. Better than most managers achieve.
Softened away
lossThe message got so padded that the person left thinking they were doing fine. The most common way this conversation fails.
Became a confrontation
lossIt turned adversarial and nothing was agreed.
Other manager feedback calls
Take this call
Delivering a clear performance message without softening it away, and finding the cause underneath it. 15 minutes, live voice, and a scored debrief you can replay. The first call is free.