Performance Conversations • Tactical Rehearsal
Early Signs of Struggle — Junior Engineer
Easy Difficulty8 minYour Role: Manager
Your Strategic Objective
Surface the performance issue gently and explore support options
The High-Stakes Context
You’ve noticed missed deadlines and gaps in quality from Nina over the past few sprints. You want to address this before it becomes a bigger problem.
A recently hired engineer who’s enthusiastic but falling behind in delivery. They’re not hitting expectations but seem unaware of the gap.
Anticipated AI Pushbacks (Curveballs)
Your counterpart is programmed to test your poise. Expect realistic objections like:
“Oh… I didn’t realize I was behind.”
“I’ve been stuck but didn’t want to bother anyone.”
Suggested Opening Icebreaker
Unsure how to start? In the simulator, you can pre-fill or adapt this opener:
"Hey Nina — I wanted to check in and talk about how things are going with your current work."
Competencies:#performance#coaching#early-career#Supportive#Calm#Honest#Reassuring
Counterpart Dossier
Nina Patel
AI PersonaNew junior engineer falling behind
Stance: easygoing
Private Sandbox Instant Scorecard
Expensing through your team?Employer Pitch Template