{"id":"lead-hard-conversation-checklist","audience":"managers","category":"leadership-work","track":"leadership","level":"intermediate","technique":"grounding","title":"Prep a hard conversation with facts, not rumors","free":false,"task":"You're meeting Tess about missed deadlines. Write a prep checklist of at most 6 lines in the form \"- [ ] ...\". The first item is the exact opening sentence you'll say, in quotes. Include only observed facts with dates, no rumors about her personal life. The last item must say you'll loop in HR (Priya) before any next step and make no decisions in this meeting. Under 150 words.","materialLabel":"Your notes before the 1:1 (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Prep notes - 1:1 with Tess, Thursday\n\nWhat I've seen:\n- Oct 7: monthly vendor report due, sent Oct 10.\n- Oct 21: pricing sheet for the Hale account due, sent Oct 24, after the client asked twice.\n- Nov 4: QBR deck due to me at 9 am, came at 4 pm, missing the churn slide.\n\nBefore this she was one of my most reliable people. 2 years, zero missed deadlines.\n\nSomeone on the team mentioned they think she's going through a divorce. I don't know if that's true.\n\nFrom HR (Priya), when I asked for advice: keep it to specific behavior, ask open questions, listen. No performance plan talk in this meeting. Loop me in before anything formal.\n\nMy goal: understand what's going on and agree on how to get back on track.","rules":[{"type":"maxBullets","max":6},{"type":"maxWords","max":150}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Using the rumor","why":"The AI weaves in the divorce rumor as 'context' to be empathetic.","fix":"Add: \"Only observed facts with dates. Leave out the rumor.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"No opening line","why":"The AI gives tips about the meeting but not the words to start it.","fix":"Say: \"First item: the exact opening sentence, in quotes.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Drifting into decisions","why":"The AI suggests a performance plan or consequences.","fix":"Add: \"Last item: loop in HR (Priya) before any next step; no decisions today.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Writing a long guide","why":"The AI writes a full article on difficult conversations.","fix":"Cap it: \"At most 6 checkbox lines, each under 22 words.\"","checks":["maxBullets"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each part instead: \"each line under 15 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Asks for a checklist","patterns":["checklist","\\[ \\]","checkbox"]},{"label":"Asks for the opening line","patterns":["opening","first (item|line)","exact words","quote"]},{"label":"Sticks to facts","patterns":["facts","dates","observed","rumor"]},{"label":"Brings in HR","patterns":["hr","priya"]},{"label":"Caps the length","patterns":["\\b(6|six)\\b","\\d+\\s*words"]}],"hint":"The AI will happily guess at reasons. Tell it to stick to dated facts, give you the first sentence word for word, and leave decisions to you and HR.","rubricLabels":["The first checklist item is a quoted opening sentence that is calm and non-accusatory (no blame words like 'unacceptable' or 'failing')","Lists the three missed deadlines with their dates (Oct 7, Oct 21, Nov 4) and does not mention divorce or any personal-life rumor","The last item says HR (Priya) will be looped in before any next step and that no decisions will be made in this meeting"]}