1/25/26 - The Conversation You’re Avoiding Is Probably the One You Need to Have
Most performance issues don’t explode overnight. They grow quietly — through missed expectations, unclear feedback, and conversations that keep getting postponed.
By late January, many leaders are already feeling it:
“I thought this would improve by now.”
“I don’t want to overreact.”
“I’ll give it a little more time.”
The problem isn’t caution. The problem is delay without clarity.
Focus Area 1: Waiting Often Sends the Wrong Message
When feedback is delayed, employees don’t experience it as kindness — they experience it as confusion.
Silence can unintentionally communicate:
“This must not matter.”
“I didn’t realize this was an issue.”
“The expectations must be flexible.”
By the time the issue is addressed, employees are often surprised — even defensive — because the concern feels sudden rather than ongoing.
Focus Area 2: Early Conversations Are Easier Than Corrective Ones
The earlier a concern is addressed, the simpler the conversation usually is. Early feedback tends to sound like guidance. Late feedback tends to sound like discipline.
A short, timely conversation focused on expectations and support can prevent:
Formal corrective action
Frustration on both sides
The feeling that a situation “came out of nowhere”
Most performance conversations don’t need to be heavy — they just need to be clear.
Focus Area 3: Structure Reduces Anxiety (For Everyone)
Leaders often avoid performance conversations because they’re unsure how to approach them. Employees feel that uncertainty too.
Having a simple structure helps:
What’s working
What needs improvement
What support is available
What happens next
When conversations follow a consistent structure, they feel fair, focused, and less personal — even when the message is difficult.
Focus Area 4: Address the Behavior, Not the Person
Effective performance conversations focus on observable behaviors and outcomes — not assumptions about intent or attitude.
Comparing:
“You don’t seem committed lately”
vs.“Deadlines were missed twice this month without communication”
The second creates clarity. The first creates defensiveness.
How This Ties Together
Avoiding performance conversations rarely protects relationships — it usually strains them over time.
Clear, timely feedback builds trust, even when the message is uncomfortable. January is a strong moment to reset this habit before small issues become larger ones.
Looking Ahead
Next week, we’ll explore why unclear job expectations are one of the most common — and preventable — sources of performance issues in small businesses.
New Bear Briefs are published weekly.
— Bear Essentials HR
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