Seems like the manager has to walk a thin line, doesn't it? If you're doing well, why not just say so? If I'm not doing so well, tell me the truth, don't blindside me down the road in six months with a statement like, "we've bee watching you and it's not quite enough". Well, if they had six months to watch, why didn't someone say something sooner? have we become too "delicate' in terms of talking to an employee? Can't we just tell it like it is?