Feedback is optional. Performance isn't.

Most managers default to soft, vague feedback, the "poo-poo sandwich" of compliment, critique, compliment, because it feels safe. But feedback is suggestive by nature, appropriate for social settings or volunteer environments where the stakes are low. Performance conversations are different. They require clarity, accountability, and follow-through.

This episode breaks down a 3-part framework for having real performance conversations:

1. Anchor language — Use words that stick: if there is a failure, or expectations not met. Vague language gets forgotten. Anchor language gets remembered.
2. Explicit consequences — Name what happens next: reassignment, termination. Ambiguity protects no one.
3. Resources and support — Pair the hard conversation with a real path forward: tools, check-ins, and support to close the gap.

Two examples bring the framework to life: a 90-day team member and a third-year apprentice, both of whom turned performance around after clear expectations, defined tool requirements, weekly check-ins, and stated consequences were put on the table.

The result isn't a harder conversation; it's a clearer one. And clarity is what actually changes behavior.

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