Playbook · Article 07 · Performance & Talent Management

From First Slip to Fair Decision

Six plays for the first sign of weak work. Act early, find the real cause, give real help. Only then decide.

6Plays
8Weeks
5Tools
FreeTo use
FEEDBACK LOG DECIDE HELP
01

At a glance

What it is

Help first, decide later

Most PIPs start too late. By then the manager has made up their mind.

This plan starts at the first slip. You talk early, find the cause and give real help for 30 days.

Then you decide, with a clear record. Legal steps in India depend on the person's role and the new labour codes. So check with your legal team.

Who it is for

The people closest to it

People managers and HRBPs. The team lead or skip manager may join at play 5.

When to use it

Three moments

  • Good work has slipped for a few weeks.
  • A manager says, "I think we need a PIP."
  • Someone is on a PIP, and no one knows why it started.
Kyun, the Mimansa loris
Kyun

Work has slipped. Before anyone decides, shall we take a calm, close look?

02

The six plays

About 8 weeks. Plays 1 to 3 take two weeks. Play 4 is a 30-day sprint. Plays 5 and 6 take the last two weeks.

  1. 1Spot the patternWeek 1
  2. 2Give clear feedbackWeek 1
  3. 3Find the causeWeek 2
  4. 4Run a 30-day support sprintWeeks 3 to 6
  5. 5Decide, fairlyWeek 7
  6. 6Close it and log itWeek 8
1
Play 1 of 6

Spot the pattern

Week 1

The manager does this.

  1. Note three or more slips over two to three weeks.
  2. Write facts: dates, tasks and what was missed.
  3. Check if the work, team or goals changed lately.
Kyun

One bad week is not a pattern. What do you see?

WEEKS
2
Play 2 of 6

Give clear feedback

Week 1

The manager does this, in private.

  1. Meet within a week of seeing the pattern.
  2. Say what you saw and why it matters. Then listen.
  3. Agree what good looks like, and when you will check again.
Kyun

Say what you saw. Then ask what they see.

3
Play 3 of 6

Find the cause

Week 2

The manager and the HRBP do this together.

  1. Look at five causes: skill, will, unclear goals, how work is set up, and life outside work.
  2. Ask the person what is getting in the way.
  3. Pick the one or two causes that fit the facts.
Kyun

What is really in the way? Let's find out before we judge.

FIVE CAUSES
Done when

You agree on the main cause, and the person has been heard.

4
Play 4 of 6

Run a 30-day support sprint

Weeks 3 to 6

The manager runs it. The HRBP checks in at the midpoint.

  1. Set two or three clear goals for the month.
  2. Give real help: training, a buddy, time or fewer tasks. Note the cost in ₹.
  3. Meet once a week. Write down what moved.
Kyun

Thirty days. What help will you give, and when will you check in?

30
5
Play 5 of 6

Decide, fairly

Week 7

The manager and the HRBP decide. The skip manager signs off.

  1. Look at the goals, the help given and the check-in notes.
  2. Choose one: improved, a formal PIP, a move to another role, or a respectful exit.
  3. Tell the person in a calm, private talk. Put it in writing.
Kyun

This is the hard part. Is the record clear enough to decide?

IMPROVED PIP MOVE EXIT
6
Play 6 of 6

Close it and log it

Week 8

The HRBP does this.

  1. Fill in the Case Timeline with all the dates.
  2. Check how long each step took.
  3. Note one thing to do sooner next time.
Kyun

Last play. What will you do sooner next time?

CLOSED CASE
03

Example and how-to

Filled-in example · 30-Day Support Plan

Customer support lead, Hyderabad

A made-up case. Ravi K. led a shift of 8 well for two years. Then his team's tickets began to slip. Copy the shape, not the words.

Cause found
Unclear goals. A new tool came in, and no one set new targets for it.
Goal 1
Close 90% of tickets within 24 hours by day 30.
Goal 2
Run a 10-minute team huddle each morning.
Help given
Two days of tool training. A buddy from the Pune team. One less report each week.
Cost
₹18,000 for training. No other cost.
Check-ins
Every Friday at 4 pm. Days 7, 14, 21 and 28.
Outcome
Improved. 92% of tickets closed on time by day 28.
How-to guide · 4 minutes

How to have the first hard talk

  1. Book 30 minutes in a quiet room. Not on a Friday evening.
  2. Start with care. Say you want to help.
  3. Share two or three facts. Dates and tasks, not labels.
  4. Ask, "How do you see it?" Then listen without cutting in.
  5. Agree what good looks like, and one next step.
  6. Set a date to check in again.
  7. Write it in the Feedback Log the same day.
04

What you get

5 free tools. Each one is a single page or a single sheet.

Kyun

That's the playbook. Use them in order, one play at a time.

05

Why it matters, and what's next

Over 1 in 3

feedback efforts in a large review made performance worse, not better. How feedback is given matters.

Source: Kluger and DeNisi, Psychological Bulletin 119(2), 254-284, 1996 (meta-analysis: 607 effect sizes, 23,663 observations)
3.6 times

more likely to feel driven to do great work. That is staff who get feedback from their manager every day, compared with once a year.

Source: Gallup, How Fast Feedback Fuels Performance, 2022 (Gallup Panel, 13,490 US full-time employees, Mar 2021)
41%

of talent leaders say dealing with poor performers is a challenge. Another 41% say getting managers to give fair, useful feedback is hard.

Source: SHRM, Talent Management Executives: Priorities and Perspectives, 2025 (cited on SHRM India)
Kyun

Next, a way to help the manager, not just the case.