Coach managers on hard conversations
Managers get help preparing feedback that follows your guidelines.
People and HR · When you ask · Updated
Works with
- Slack
SlackHow do you prepare a difficult conversation?
To prepare a difficult conversation, tell Maito what happened in Slack. It applies your company's feedback guide, turns the facts into an opening that names the pattern and its impact, suggests questions to ask, lists things to avoid, and can help you rehearse the reply the employee is most likely to give.
How it's done today
New managers wing it.
What Maito does
- Read the situation
- Suggest how to frame it using your guidelines
- Draft talking points
Example
@Maito I need to give feedback to someone on my team who keeps missing deadlines. 3 times since August. Help me prepare.
Here's a plan using the Northstar feedback guide: situation, behavior, impact. Open with the pattern: "The vendor report was due Sep 11, the audit pack Oct 2 and the supplier list Oct 14, and each landed 2 to 4 days late. Each delay held up someone else." Then ask: "What's getting in the way?" Listen before suggesting anything. Agree on a next step: work is flagged by Wednesday if it's at risk, and you check in Nov 2. Catch: the guide says feedback should come within 2 weeks of the event. The Sep 11 one is past that, so frame this as a pattern and not as that incident. Want to try your opening line here first?
@Maito Sure. "I wanted to talk about your deadlines."
Close, but it sounds like a verdict. Try: "I want to understand what happened with the last three deadlines." It invites an answer. Then give the dates.
Tom (4:05 PM):
I need to give feedback to someone on my team who keeps missing deadlines. 3 times since August. Help me prepare.
Maito (4:07 PM):
Here's a plan using the Northstar feedback guide: situation, behavior, impact.
Open with the pattern: "The vendor report was due Sep 11, the audit pack Oct 2 and the supplier list Oct 14, and each landed 2 to 4 days late. Each delay held up someone else."
Then ask: "What's getting in the way?" Listen before suggesting anything.
Agree on a next step: work is flagged by Wednesday if it's at risk, and you check in Nov 2.
Catch: the guide says feedback should come within 2 weeks of the event. The Sep 11 one is past that, so frame this as a pattern and not as that incident.
Want to try your opening line here first?
Tom (4:15 PM):
Sure. "I wanted to talk about your deadlines."
Maito (4:16 PM):
Close, but it sounds like a verdict. Try: "I want to understand what happened with the last three deadlines." It invites an answer. Then give the dates.
How to set it up
- Set up
Nothing to set up. Ask in Slack or by email whenever you need it.
What it won't do
Maito helps you prepare. It does not give legal advice, and cases involving discipline, health or discrimination belong with HR.
Questions
Yes. Share your feedback guide and Maito follows it instead of generic advice.
A manager can email the workspace address or ask in a Slack thread. Maito only reads a thread after it is mentioned there.
No. It prepares the manager, and the manager has the conversation.
