The part I fumbled was being specific about what the gap actually was.
Use the STAR method to tell a concise story that shows empathy, data-driven diagnosis, and collaborative problem-solving. Focus on how you supported your teammate without taking over, and quantify the positive outcome for both the individual and the team.
Pro tip: Emphasize that you first sought to understand the root cause (e.g., unclear expectations, skill gap, personal issue) before offering help, and that you framed your support as a shared team goal rather than a personal criticism.
Briefly describe the project, the teammate's role, and the specific underperformance gap (e.g., missed deadlines, code quality issues) with concrete metrics if possible.
Explain how you identified the root cause—through observation, one-on-one conversation, or data—and what you learned about the teammate's challenges.
Describe how you initiated a private, non-judgmental conversation to understand their perspective and offer support, focusing on collaboration rather than criticism.
Detail the specific steps you took to help, such as pair programming, knowledge sharing, adjusting task assignments, or connecting them with resources.
Quantify the improvement (e.g., reduced bugs, on-time delivery) and reflect on what you learned about teamwork and leadership.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.