The Hard Talk, Soft Landing Playbook

A manager’s guide to starting the conversation you’ve been putting off - clearly, kindly and before it becomes harder for everyone.

A free 5-day email course for managers who know something is not working but feel stuck about how to start the conversation.
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Does this sound familiar?

You may not be avoiding the conversation because you do not care.You may be avoiding it because you want to be fair, kind and certain before you say anything.Meanwhile:

  • You type “performance concerns” into the meeting invitation, delete it and replace it with “quick catch-up.”

  • You save another email in a folder and tell yourself you will raise it once you have enough examples.

  • At 10 p.m., you fix their report again because it feels quicker than explaining what needs to change.

  • You ask HR about starting a PIP, and the room becomes strangely quiet when they ask what you have already said to the employee.

  • You arrive with six weeks of evidence. They arrive expecting to discuss Tuesday.

  • By the time the issue is finally raised, the conversation is much bigger - and much harder - than it needed to be.

The Hard Talk, Soft Landing Playbook shows you how to raise the issue earlier, say what you mean and give someone a fair chance to put things right.

*Inside the free 5-day email course
5 well-intentioned management habits - and what to do instead.

Day 1: The “Wait for a Pattern” Trap

Why waiting for certainty leaves the employee facing weeks of concerns at once - and how to raise the first clear example early.

Day 2: The “Build the Case” Approach

How “document everything” becomes a quiet investigation - and how to prepare without assembling a prosecution.

Day 3: The “Hint and Hope” Conversation

Why vague requests for “more ownership” rarely work - and how to be clear without becoming cold.

Day 4: The “Helpful Manager” Rescue Cycle

How correcting and covering hides the performance gap - and how to support the employee without doing their job.

Day 5: The “Straight to Formal” Escalation

Why a formal process can feel like the first real conversation - and how to build a fair path to formal action when it is needed.

Why this course is different:

This is not a script for every situation.This is a practical guide for the moment before formal performance management - when a manager notices a concern and needs to decide how to raise it clearly and fairly.It is not anti-documentation or anti-formal process. It is about making sure formal action is not the first time an employee understands there is a problem.Because raising a concern early, clearly and kindly is often the fairest thing you can do - for both of you.

You’re in. Your first step is done.

Your first Hard Talk, Soft Landing email is on its way. Look for a message from Kim McAuliffe in the next few minutes.If it doesn’t appear, check your Promotions or Spam folder and move it to your Primary inbox so you receive all five emails.No need to have the whole conversation figured out yet. We’ll take it one manageable step at a time.See you there!