When an employee is obviously miscast, great managers hold up the mirror. They encourage the employee to use this misstep to learn a little more about his unique combination of talents and nontalents. They use language like “This isn’t a fit for you. Let’s talk about why” or “You need to find a role that plays more to your natural talents. What do you think that role might be?” They use this language not because it is polite, not because it softens the bad news, but because it is true.
