Managing High-Stakes HR Conversations: A Guide to Delayed Terminations, Leadership Transitions, and Compensation Issues

Meg Makalou, Chief People Officer at The Climate Corporation and former VP of HR at Zynga, outlines three of the most challenging conversations HR leaders face: delayed terminations, companies outgrowing senior leaders, and compensation disputes. She emphasizes building trust and candor as key to navigating these difficult situations, and provides tactical advice on preventing performance problems through explicit expectation-setting and industry-focused onboarding.