TL; DR:

• Raise concerns early, without jumping to termination
• Coaching needs observations, support, and follow-through
• Managers remain accountable for the whole team
• Join me for the live stream (or watch the recording) on Monday, July 20 at 7:00 PM Pacific!

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When Should You Tell Your Manager A Developer Is Struggling?

I came across a question from a team lead who had been coaching a junior developer for roughly 20 months. Progress had been difficult, and from the team lead's perspective, the developer had actually started moving backward. They were less proactive, still needed a lot of direction, and did not seem to be responding to the coaching.

The question was basically: When should I tell my manager this is not working?

My immediate reaction was that this conversation should have started much earlier. But I want to be extremely clear about what I mean by that.