Practise this conversation
What to say when your manager challenges your numbers
The first time you have one shouldn’t be the first time you’ve said the words.
Claire is waiting for you
Before you go in
Your area manager is in on Tuesday. Availability has been under target for three weeks, wastage is up and your labour hours went over last week. Some of it has reasons, some of it is on you, and this time you’re the one being challenged.
Good luck.
Your goal
Own the numbers that are on you, explain the ones that aren’t, and leave Claire with two or three fixes she can hold you to.
Up to 8 turns, about five minutes, then feedback from our AI coach. Your first go at this conversation is free. After that, one credit a go (packs from £3).
Want the full rehearsal? (Pro, 6 credits for both)
What you’ll practise
- Stating the numbers plainly, before any reasons.
- Separating what was outside your control from what wasn’t, and owning the second part out loud.
- Offering two or three specific actions, each with a date, and saying when you’ll report back.
Your goal
Your free go at this one is used
One credit runs the whole conversation
Each new go costs one credit: a full conversation with Claire and the coach’s feedback. Your free go at the other conversations is still there.
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What worked
Where it slipped
Say this instead
One thing to practise
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Ready for the real one?
Rehearse it with Claire until you’re ready
Practise the conversation until it feels like the second time, not the first, and walk in with your best words.
- Two full rehearsals: up to 20 turns each, out loud or typed
- On the second, a hint from the coach after each reply
- Your own best lines on a card to take in with you
With the Best value pack (50 credits), 6 credits is about £1.45 · $1.90 · €1.70 · A$2.90. After that, one more go with hints is 2 credits. Private: use made-up names, and nothing you say is kept.
What we keep: nothing you typed. Your conversation stays in your browser and goes to our AI coach only to write the next reply and your feedback. Use a made-up name for the person you’re thinking of. The feedback is written by AI from your conversation and is a second pair of eyes, not a verdict on you.
Practice for reflection, not legal or HR advice. If it involves harassment, discrimination, health or safety, talk to HR or ACAS.
The full picture
Your area manager, Claire, is in on Tuesday morning and she's already seen the dashboard. Availability has been under target for three weeks. Wastage is up for the second month running. Labour hours went over budget last week for the first time since you took the job.
You know some of the reasons. Two people have been off sick, one of them for most of the month. A delivery came in six hours late on the busiest day of the week and the backlog never cleared. The new starter on the early shift is keen but slow, and nobody has had time to train him properly. You also know some of it is on you. You let the overtime run because it was easier than saying no, and you haven't walked the wastage report with anyone since September.
This time you're the one being challenged. Claire looks after eight sites and has her own manager asking questions. She's given you ten minutes in the office before she walks the floor, and she wants to know what's happening and what you're doing about it.
Why it's hard
There are two easy ways out and both look bad. One is to explain every number away: the sickness, the delivery, the new starter. It's all true, and it sounds like excuses. The other is to take all the blame and go quiet, which sounds like you've lost control of the site. Claire isn't looking for either. She wants to see that you know the numbers better than she does, that you can tell the difference between what was outside your control and what wasn't, and that you've already started on it. The plan doesn't have to be big. It has to be specific, with dates, and it has to be yours.
82% of people who enter management have had no formal management and leadership training.
Chartered Management Institute with YouGov, Taking Responsibility, October 2023Two-thirds of managers say they're uncomfortable communicating with the people they manage.
Lou Solomon, Harvard Business Review, March 2016 (survey by Interact and Harris Poll)What usually goes wrong, and what you'll practise
What usually goes wrong
- Leading with the reasons before you've shown you know the numbers.
- Blaming the team, the delivery or head office, so she hears a supervisor who isn't in charge of the site.
- Promising a big turnaround by next week that you can't deliver, which only moves this conversation to next week.
- Agreeing to every target she puts on the table so the meeting ends sooner, with no idea how you'll hit them.
What you'll practise
- Stating the numbers plainly, before any reasons.
- Separating what was outside your control from what wasn't, and owning the second part out loud.
- Offering two or three specific actions, each with a date, and saying when you'll report back.
Read before you practise
Questions people ask
What if the numbers really were outside my control?
Say so, briefly, with the figure attached: "The late delivery on Thursday cost us about four points of availability." Then move to the part you can change. One sentence of reason, three of plan. If it's all reason, it sounds like excuses even when it's true.
What if she asks for a figure I don't have?
Say you don't have it to hand and when you'll send it. Guessing is worse: if the guess is wrong, every other number you've given her is in doubt. Walk in with last week's availability, wastage and labour figures already written down.
Should I bring up the team members who caused some of it?
Not by name, and not as the reason. Your area manager holds you responsible for the site, including the people on it. "A new starter who isn't trained yet" is a fact about your plan. "Dave is slow" is a complaint.
Credits here are BOM Credits: packs from 10 for £3 to 100 for £20, and one code works across every coach tool on the site. Full refund within 14 days if you haven't used a credit. Anything wrong, email [email protected]. How credits work