The Hard Conversations Library
The conversations HR is hired for and most teams botch — firing humanely, layoffs done with dignity and defensibility, fair PIPs, harassment investigations, comp pushback, and telling a founder their cofounder must go.
For: HR leaders, HRBPs, founders, managers preparing for the conversations that define a career
Layoff playbook: WARN, selection defensibility, comms cascade, survivor syndrome
The 30-day playbook to run a reduction in force with legal defensibility and human dignity — WARN Act mechanics, defensible selection criteria, the comms…
Firing someone humanely: the script, the severance math, the reference policy
How to terminate a single employee with dignity and defensibility — the 8-minute conversation script, the severance formula most companies use, what you…
PIP that's actually fair (vs. PIP-to-fire theater)
The honest test for whether a Performance Improvement Plan is a development tool or a paperwork exercise to justify a pre-made decision — with the diagnostic…
Investigating harassment claims: interview techniques, documentation, retaliation
The HR investigator’s playbook for harassment, discrimination, and code-of-conduct claims — intake, scope, interview structure, documentation standards…
Salary negotiation pushback: scripts for the 12 situations recruiters and managers actually face
Recruiters and hiring managers spend 30% of their offer time on the same 12 negotiation pushbacks. Here are the scripts — for ‘I need more,’ ‘I have a…
Telling a founder their cofounder must go: the conversation no one teaches you
When a cofounder is no longer right for the company — and the other founder, the CHRO, or the board has to say so.
Principled negotiation for HR: Fisher & Ury's 'Getting to Yes' in HR contexts
HR negotiates daily — offers, exits, conflicts, vendor contracts — but rarely studies negotiation as a discipline.
Distributive vs integrative negotiation — why HR keeps leaving value on the table
Most HR negotiations — offers, severance, vendor renewals — default to distributive (fixed-pie, win-lose). Integrative (interest-based, value-creating) gets…