If you’re the boss, this one’s yours—book the 1:1

In fast-paced environments, it’s inevitable: sometimes people don’t perform as the role requires. Maybe the role outgrew the person, responsibilities shifted, or they just weren’t the right fit to begin with. Whatever the reason, we’ve all seen it—and if we’re honest, we’ve probably been in that position ourselves at some point in our career.

The worst thing you can do? Look the other way and hope it’ll fix itself. (Spoiler: it won’t.) Ignoring the gap doesn’t just hurt the team—it’s unfair to the person who’s struggling.

So, be brave, it′s nobodies favourite task, but its part of being the boss - book this 1:1 and address it.

Here is a few tips and tricks how to prep and execute this meeting:

1. "What is actually missing?"

Before jumping into performance reviews, take a step back and ask: What’s the role supposed to achieve? Don’t think about the person filling the role right now—focus on what the role is suppose to deliver in an ideal world. Defining the benchmarks for the role itself ensures you’re giving feedback based on objective performance, not personal bias.

#ImpactHack: Reflect on moments that frustrated you. When did you step in and fixed it because the delivered output was far below expectations (and your briefing was on fleek ofc??). Those moments are your red flags, showing where the individual needed more guidance or support than the role should require.

2. Is it possible to deliver this?

Now it’s time to match your role requirements with the actual person filing it currently. Objectively assessed: With their experience, skill set and ability to learn—is it possible for them to meet the expectations for this role in a timely manner? And how much additional support and guidance will that require?

#ImpactHack: No beating around the bush—be brutally clear about what’s missing. Now is a good time to write a cheat sheet, specific requirements not met in the past.

“I need this role to deliver a solid budget plan, without me going through four feedback loops.”

And no fooling yourself, however much you want this person to succeed: Are you willing and able to invest the time or external resources they need to catch up? If yes - prepare a scenario for that. If not, it’s time to face reality—either the role changes, or the person in it does. Keep in mind changing out of an overwhelming role is not the end of the world.

3. The Talk

Now that you’ve pinpointed the gaps, it’s time to share the feedback. Make it an eye-level conversation. Clearly explain where expectations are falling short and why it matters (If you have trouble articulating this face to face, use your cheat sheet). Get their perspective and discuss if and how you can support their success. But also be upfront about your own limitations—whether it’s time, resources, or bandwidth. Ideally you align on whether you can close the gap together or if a bigger change is needed. Even if you don′t agree on a shared way forward this process will spare you a lot of time and energy in the aftermath.

#ImpactHack: Allow them time to digest the information (and lick their ego wounds a bit, we’ve all been there and it’s not a great feeling). The first meeting is for sharing the news; the second is for planning the way forward. For minor changes, a day might suffice (“sleep on it, and we’ll talk tomorrow”). For major shifts, like removing key responsibilities, allow up to a week to process and prepare for a productive discussion.

So don't wait for things to break down—address the elephant in the room today.