When you need this

Sometimes someone on your team gets it wrong, and it keeps happening: late to meetings, careless with numbers, rude to a colleague. As their manager, you have to say something. Waiting hurts everyone, including the person, who can't fix a problem nobody mentions.

Hard feedback is fair when it's private, specific and about behavior, not character. Describe what you saw and heard ("The numbers in the last two reports were wrong"), explain the effect, and say clearly what needs to change. Then listen, because there's often a reason you didn't know about. You're not there to make anyone feel small. Keep your voice normal, never raise it in front of others, and end with a plan and a date to check in again. People accept tough words far better when they can tell you want them to succeed.

Phrases

asking to talk away from others

naming the topic directly

describing a behavior, not a character

explaining the effect on others

a clear, calm limit

listening before you judge

checking for a reason behind the behavior

the clear request

describing the behavior you expect

asking them to own the fix

offering your part of the solution

setting a follow-up

promising privacy

explaining your intention

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

Practice · 3 min

Say the line that fits. Situation on the left, one natural line on the right.

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Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.