Tackling Missed Deadlines with Insights
Struggling with missed deadlines? Try this 5 step practical approach to address the issue with clarity and care.
- Difficult Conversations
- Feedback
- Influencing
- Insights
- Listening
When someone regularly misses agreed deadlines, it’s easy to jump to conclusions — but what if we paused, and looked through the lens of their personality? Recognising intent and preferences can build empathy, but it’s not about letting things slide. It’s about having the clarity and confidence to give feedback and hold a good-quality conversation.
Using Juicing The Lemon’s 5-step model for difficult conversations alongside Insights Discovery helps us challenge behaviour without damaging trust.
5-step Conversation Structure
Step 1: Pre
🗣️ Be clear on behaviour + intention
“I’ve noticed you’ve missed a few recent deadlines. I want to understand what’s going on and agree how we move forward together.”
Step 2: We
🤝 Set a collaborative tone
“We both care about working well together. I’d love us to chat this through so we can avoid any future frustrations.”
Step 3: You
👂 Invite their perspective (and flex your approach based on their colour energy).
🟡 Yellow: “I know you’ve got a lot on your plate—what’s been tricky about landing things on time?”
→ Light & curious.
🔵 Blue: “I’ve noticed a few deadlines have been missed, which is unusual for you—can you walk me through what’s been happening?”
→ Factual & structured.
🔴 Red: “I’ve noticed a few deadlines have slipped—what’s getting in the way, and how can we fix it quickly?”
→ Direct & action-focused.
🟢 Green: “I wanted to check in—what’s been going on that’s made hitting the deadline harder? How can I support you better?”
→ Builds trust & openness.
Step 4: Me
❤️ Share the impact honestly and kindly
“When deadlines are missed, it puts pressure on the team and causes tension with others.”
Step 5: Agree
✅ Co-create a colour-aware solution
🔴 Red: “Let’s lock in milestones + check-ins to keep momentum.”
→ Why: Gives structure without slowing them down. Focuses on action and results.
🟡 Yellow: “Let’s use a shared tracker or quick check-in.”
→ Why: Keeps it light, visual, and social—avoids boring systems.
🟢 Green: “Shall we set a regular check-in so nothing slips through?”
→ Why: Creates gentle structure and space for openness.
🔵 Blue: “Let’s map the full timeline so we can track and adjust.”
→ Why: Appeals to their need for clarity, planning, and precision.