Weeks 1–3 · Structure
Cadence, agenda and who owns it.
The programs, in detail
Four programs of 8 to 12 weeks, worked on your real team and your real conversations.
Program 01 · Thirty minutes that count
One-on-ones
A status report is not a one-on-one. We restructure them around the other person's agenda, work on questions that open things up, and on the discipline of following through on what was raised — which is what turns the meeting into something people protect rather than cancel.
Weeks 4–6 · Questions
Asking, then leaving room for an answer.
Weeks 7–8 · Follow-through
Notes and commitments that survive the week.
Weeks 9–10 · Harder topics
Career, dissatisfaction and what isn't being said.
Weeks 1–3 · Specific and soon
Feedback within days, about behavior.
Weeks 4–6 · The hard one
Underperformance, prepared and rehearsed.
Weeks 7–8 · Conflict
Between team members, and with you.
Weeks 9–10 · Reactions
Staying steady when it doesn't go smoothly.
Program 02 · Say it early, say it plainly
Feedback & hard talks
Feedback saved for a review is useless, and softened until it's unrecognizable is worse. We work on being specific and timely, on the underperformance conversation, on conflict between team members, and on staying calm when someone reacts badly. Anything approaching discipline or termination goes to HR and legal — that's a firm line.
Program 03 · Stop doing the work
Delegation & priorities
New managers do the work themselves because it's faster this week and disastrous by next quarter. We work on delegating whole problems with context and a check-in point, on saying no upward, and on a calendar that leaves room for the management part of the job.
Weeks 1–2 · What to hand off
Starting with what you're best at, which is the hard part.
Weeks 3–4 · Context over instructions
Briefing so people can decide.
Weeks 5–6 · Check-ins
Oversight that isn't hovering.
Weeks 7–8 · Your week
A calendar that reflects the actual job.
Weeks 1–2 · Expectations
Written down, agreed, revisited.
Weeks 3–4 · Evidence
A running record, kept fairly.
Weeks 5–6 · Writing reviews
Honest, specific and defensible.
Weeks 7–8 · Development
Growth that isn't only a ladder.
Program 04 · Reviews without dread
Performance & growth
Reviews are painful when expectations were never explicit. We set clear ones early, keep a running record so review writing takes an hour rather than a weekend, and work on development conversations — including for people who aren't aiming at promotion, which is most of them.
Dreading a conversation this week?
Twenty minutes on your team and what's hardest right now. Free and confidential.