Keeping People Isn’t Always Kind
Tue Jan 13 2026
Every leader faces it… the moment you realize someone on your team just isn’t cutting it..
Too often, leaders hold onto struggling employees out of compassion, hope, or fear of being “too harsh.” But avoiding hard decisions can quietly drain energy, stall team performance, and create bigger problems down the line.
In this episode of Let’s Talk, People, Emily sits down with Mary Beech, Chief Growth Officer at Thorne, to explore one of leadership’s toughest balancing acts: managing performance with clarity and care and knowing when it’s time to call it. Together, they unpack how to recognize when coaching isn’t enough, how to make confident calls under pressure, and how to support your high performers. Mary shares personal lessons she learned the hard way, from holding on too long, to learning that accountability is an act of empathy.
Whether you’re a new manager navigating difficult conversations or a seasoned leader looking to sharpen your performance management skills, this episode offers practical tools and mindset shifts to help you lead with clarity, fairness, and heart.
Timestamps:
[00:01:15] Acting with Empathy and Accountability in Tough Decisions –Underperformance isn’t a relationship issue. It’s a team issue. As leaders, our job is to protect the business and the team, not just preserve one relationship. Mary describes how delaying difficult performance decisions can quietly erode trust, credibility, and team morale.[00:07:32] The Sprint vs. Marathon of Managing Performance – Be very intentional about which people you spend your time on. Treat your coaching and attention like a portfolio. Emily and Mary unpack when it’s appropriate for leaders to overinvest time with certain team members, and how leaders can leverage strategies to balance time between both high and low performers.[00:13:09]: Evolving Roles from Generalists to Specialists – As your business evolves, not everyone will still fit the needs. What worked in an early, generalist-heavy stage may not work in a more specialized, scaled environment. Emily and Mary discuss how sometimes the most caring choice is to clarify the new expectations and support someone to shift roles or move on.[00:22:22] Feedback as a Lifelong Skill – Giving clear and timely feedback gives you credibility and reinforces you as the leader. Mary reflects on why feedback isn’t a box to check but a practice to keep refining, even for experienced executives. They discuss real-time coaching and how ongoing conversations strengthen your credibility, align the broader leadership team, and give the individual a real chance to adjust.
Access the episode transcript.
Join the Conversation: This year we’re taking audience questions! Send in your toughest people management and leadership challenges, and we’ll anonymize them and tackle them in an upcoming episode. Email Abigail on our Let’s Talk, People team with your situation as a written note or voice memo to abigail@arosegroup.com.
Connect with Emily Frieze-Kemeny on LinkedIn and Instagram or explore her work through AROSE Group’s a...
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Every leader faces it… the moment you realize someone on your team just isn’t cutting it.. Too often, leaders hold onto struggling employees out of compassion, hope, or fear of being “too harsh.” But avoiding hard decisions can quietly drain energy, stall team performance, and create bigger problems down the line. In this episode of Let’s Talk, People, Emily sits down with Mary Beech, Chief Growth Officer at Thorne, to explore one of leadership’s toughest balancing acts: managing performance with clarity and care and knowing when it’s time to call it. Together, they unpack how to recognize when coaching isn’t enough, how to make confident calls under pressure, and how to support your high performers. Mary shares personal lessons she learned the hard way, from holding on too long, to learning that accountability is an act of empathy. Whether you’re a new manager navigating difficult conversations or a seasoned leader looking to sharpen your performance management skills, this episode offers practical tools and mindset shifts to help you lead with clarity, fairness, and heart. Timestamps: [00:01:15] Acting with Empathy and Accountability in Tough Decisions –Underperformance isn’t a relationship issue. It’s a team issue. As leaders, our job is to protect the business and the team, not just preserve one relationship. Mary describes how delaying difficult performance decisions can quietly erode trust, credibility, and team morale.[00:07:32] The Sprint vs. Marathon of Managing Performance – Be very intentional about which people you spend your time on. Treat your coaching and attention like a portfolio. Emily and Mary unpack when it’s appropriate for leaders to overinvest time with certain team members, and how leaders can leverage strategies to balance time between both high and low performers.[00:13:09]: Evolving Roles from Generalists to Specialists – As your business evolves, not everyone will still fit the needs. What worked in an early, generalist-heavy stage may not work in a more specialized, scaled environment. Emily and Mary discuss how sometimes the most caring choice is to clarify the new expectations and support someone to shift roles or move on.[00:22:22] Feedback as a Lifelong Skill – Giving clear and timely feedback gives you credibility and reinforces you as the leader. Mary reflects on why feedback isn’t a box to check but a practice to keep refining, even for experienced executives. They discuss real-time coaching and how ongoing conversations strengthen your credibility, align the broader leadership team, and give the individual a real chance to adjust. Access the episode transcript. Join the Conversation: This year we’re taking audience questions! Send in your toughest people management and leadership challenges, and we’ll anonymize them and tackle them in an upcoming episode. Email Abigail on our Let’s Talk, People team with your situation as a written note or voice memo to abigail@arosegroup.com. Connect with Emily Frieze-Kemeny on LinkedIn and Instagram or explore her work through AROSE Group’s a...