Leadership & Management
10 templates · Updated 2026-08-11
Manager conversations rehearsed before they happen for real: former peers after a promotion, scorecard interviews against a rehearsed candidate, the performance-improvement talk, a restructure announced on two days’ notice. Nearly all are for teams and their managers — scored role-play with a written outcome.
- Caio — Mentoring Junior Developers Who Code With AI
Mentoring junior developers who ship three Copilot pull requests a day and cannot explain any of them, rehearsed 1:1. Five role-played sessions marked for questions asked versus answers given, ending when a lead runs a full one-to-one solving nothing themselves.
- Mansour — First Time Manager Training: Managing Former Peers
First time manager training for people now managing the peers they sat beside, rehearsed 1:1 against the colleague who wanted the job. Five scored role-plays from the promotion announcement to asking for work back, ending when three land without hedging or apologising for having authority.
- Marek — How to Interview Candidates With a Scorecard
How to interview candidates with a scorecard, taught 1:1 by a tutor that plays a likeable, rehearsed candidate and grades the notes. Four modules from behavioural questions to the rejection rationale, ready when two mock interviews produce notes another manager would score identically.
- Margarita — The Performance Improvement Plan Conversation
The performance improvement plan conversation, rehearsed 1:1 with a tutor that does not soften until the manager gives a dated, specific example. Four sessions for managers two quarters into carrying an underperformer, ending when three dated examples are stated without hedging.
- Mariam — Defend Your Rating in Performance Review Calibration
Performance review calibration prep for managers whose case rests on the last six weeks, cross-examined 1:1 by the sceptical peer manager. Three sessions on rubric evidence and recency bias, ready when every rating carries two dated pieces of evidence and the concession is rehearsed too.
- Marina — Holding the Return to Office Mandate
Return to office mandate training for managers, 1:1 role-play with a tutor that stops the moment a private exception is promised. Four sessions against the top performer with a two-hour commute, a caring responsibility and a rival offer, done when three runs pass with no unenforceable promise.
- Nikolai — Change Management, Two Days Before the Announcement
Change management training for middle managers who hear about a restructure forty-eight hours before their team does. Five 1:1 rehearsals from your comms pack and FAQ, scored on the leadership rubric, until a manager can say I do not know without losing the room.
- Nilufar — Difficult Conversations at Work: Challenging a Director
Difficult conversations at work, rehearsed 1:1 with an AI tutor playing the director who interrupts, demands data and goes silent. Built for senior individual contributors who send hedged messages at midnight; four rehearsals, done when they hold one position for three rounds.
- Nina — AI Adoption When Your Team Resists
AI adoption change management for managers rolling out tools to teams that have quietly decided this is a threat or a toy. Four 1:1 rehearsals against polite, immovable resistance, ending with one boring first win chosen and a written plan that hits your adoption targets.
- Ninon — Reviewing AI-Written Work Without Guessing
How to tell if something was written by AI, taught as a review method that never guesses at the author. Five drills on drafts with planted failures, from the citation that does not exist to the number with no source, until a lead catches four of five.
Questions, answered
How do I prepare a new manager to lead the peers they just left?
First time manager training for people now managing the peers they sat beside, rehearsed 1:1 against the colleague who wanted the job. Five scored role-plays from the promotion announcement to asking for work back, ending when three land without hedging or apologising for having authority. Explore the Mansour — First Time Manager Training: Managing Former Peers template.
How do I train hiring managers to run consistent, structured interviews?
How to interview candidates with a scorecard, taught 1:1 by a tutor that plays a likeable, rehearsed candidate and grades the notes. Four modules from behavioural questions to the rejection rationale, ready when two mock interviews produce notes another manager would score identically. Explore the Marek — How to Interview Candidates With a Scorecard template.
How do I get managers to handle underperformance conversations without avoiding them?
The performance improvement plan conversation, rehearsed 1:1 with a tutor that does not soften until the manager gives a dated, specific example. Four sessions for managers two quarters into carrying an underperformer, ending when three dated examples are stated without hedging. Explore the Margarita — The Performance Improvement Plan Conversation template.
How do I tell my team about a reorg I cannot explain?
Change management training for middle managers who hear about a restructure forty-eight hours before their team does. Five 1:1 rehearsals from your comms pack and FAQ, scored on the leadership rubric, until a manager can say I do not know without losing the room. Explore the Nikolai — Change Management, Two Days Before the Announcement template.
How do I tell my boss their plan is wrong without damaging my career?
Difficult conversations at work, rehearsed 1:1 with an AI tutor playing the director who interrupts, demands data and goes silent. Built for senior individual contributors who send hedged messages at midnight; four rehearsals, done when they hold one position for three rounds. Explore the Nilufar — Difficult Conversations at Work: Challenging a Director template.
How do I prepare managers to defend ratings in a calibration meeting?
Performance review calibration prep for managers whose case rests on the last six weeks, cross-examined 1:1 by the sceptical peer manager. Three sessions on rubric evidence and recency bias, ready when every rating carries two dated pieces of evidence and the concession is rehearsed too. Explore the Mariam — Defend Your Rating in Performance Review Calibration template.
How do managers enforce our office policy without losing their best people?
Return to office mandate training for managers, 1:1 role-play with a tutor that stops the moment a private exception is promised. Four sessions against the top performer with a two-hour commute, a caring responsibility and a rival offer, done when three runs pass with no unenforceable promise. Explore the Marina — Holding the Return to Office Mandate template.
How do I mentor a junior who leans on Copilot but understands nothing?
Mentoring junior developers who ship three Copilot pull requests a day and cannot explain any of them, rehearsed 1:1. Five role-played sessions marked for questions asked versus answers given, ending when a lead runs a full one-to-one solving nothing themselves. Explore the Caio — Mentoring Junior Developers Who Code With AI template.
How do I get my team to actually use the AI tools we bought?
AI adoption change management for managers rolling out tools to teams that have quietly decided this is a threat or a toy. Four 1:1 rehearsals against polite, immovable resistance, ending with one boring first win chosen and a written plan that hits your adoption targets. Explore the Nina — AI Adoption When Your Team Resists template.
How can managers tell if a report was actually written by AI?
How to tell if something was written by AI, taught as a review method that never guesses at the author. Five drills on drafts with planted failures, from the citation that does not exist to the number with no source, until a lead catches four of five. Explore the Ninon — Reviewing AI-Written Work Without Guessing template.