LESSON 5 OF 6 · INTERMEDIATE
Conduct a stay conversation
Ask what is working, where expectations differ and what the employee needs to succeed. Listen without arguing and avoid promising a remedy you cannot deliver. Distinguish an issue you can own from one requiring leadership or HR. Agree on a response date even when the answer is not yet known. Trust improves when difficult feedback receives a visible response.
Write three stay questions and a follow-up note for one unresolved concern.
About 2 minutes reading + 12 minutes practice. Take longer when needed.
Apply the method
Set a stay conversation apart from a sales or disciplinary meeting. Explain its purpose and ask what works, what differs from expectations and what support would make the work more effective. Listen for specific examples and do not promise secrecy beyond the organization’s actual process. Separate what you can resolve from what must be escalated. Confirm the person’s priority and agree on when they will hear back. Close the loop even if the answer is that a requested change is unavailable. A useful process makes feedback actionable without treating every concern as evidence that the employee plans to leave.
A worked application
Fictional worked example: A recruit says leadership was accessible during recruiting but is difficult to reach now. The recruiter asks for the situation that required help and learns that the employee did not know the escalation contact. The manager introduces that person and agrees on a review after the next issue. If the problem is actually limited leadership capacity, the team explains the real service model instead of promising unlimited access. The follow-up checks whether the remedy worked and records any remaining gap.
Common mistake to avoid
Do not argue with feedback or turn a stay conversation into pressure to express gratitude. Ask what happened and what a useful response would look like.
Work through the case
FICTIONAL SCENARIO
A new employee says leadership access was easier during recruiting than after arrival. A useful response clarifies the escalation route and repairs a specific missed commitment.
Make it practical
Write three stay questions and a follow-up note for one unresolved concern.
Compare your reasoning with a worked response
The note acknowledges the issue, names the owner and review date, and explains how progress will be communicated. It does not dismiss the concern as adjustment.
Takeaway
Use the method to explain your decision, identify what you still need to verify and choose an accountable next step.
Treat the response as a model for reasoning, not the only possible wording. Adapt it to the role, evidence and appropriate organizational guidance.