Helping an under-performer

As a leader with others reporting to you, it is your responsibility to manage situations that your team members bring to the workplace and you really should be aware of under-performance when it creeps into the team setting.

Under-performance is frustrating, time-consuming, and it can demoralize the other people on your team. But what do you do? How do you help turn this behavior around? How long do you let it continue before you cut the cord?

Here are three important steps to deliver a productive intervention with your under-performing team member.

First - Ask Yourself

"Is this person someone that can be coached?" If someone disagrees that they need help, they are most likely averse to feedback which makes coaching them a big problem. On the flip-side, if you observe their willingness to get better along with a genuine interest to improve, chances are you can work together to turn things around.

Second - Ask others Make sure to look at the problem objectively and from different sides. Consider talking to their previous boss or someone who’s previously worked with him/her. When approaching other people, though, do it carefully and confidentially. You might say something like: “I’m worried that my frustration may be clouding my judgment. All I can see are the mistakes she’s making. I want to make an honest effort to see what I’m missing.”

Seek evidence that might prove your initial assumptions to be wrong. If you were struggling, you'd want your leader to do this for you as well. It's the Golden Rule in action. Treat them they way you would want to be treated.

Third - Take Action Once you’ve checked-in with others, talk to the employee directly. Explain exactly what you’re observing, how the team’s work is impacted, and make clear that you want to help.

The conversation may go something like this: “I’m seeing issues with your performance. I believe that you can do better and I know that I may be contributing to the problem. So how do we get out of this? How do we improve this situation?” It’s important to engage the person in a collaborative manner when brainstorming solutions.

It is critical for you to take from this initial conversation that the employee acknowledges there is a problem. If they say something like,"I am who I am" or imply that they’re not going to change, then you’ve got to make a decision whether you can live with the issue, for how long and at what cost.

Don’t expect an immediate response. After this kind of download, the person may need time to digest your feedback-for-improvement and come back later with some proposals regarding how to proceed.

What NOT to do:

Don’t ignore things or take no action

Too often these issues go unaddressed even if everyone involved, including the leader, knows something is wrong. In my experience, all too often, I've seen that most performance problems aren’t dealt with directly or timely. More often, instead of taking action, the manager will look for easy ways out of having to take action like transfer the person to another team or let him/her stay put and let them flounder in frustration. This is absolutely the wrong approach. Doing nothing is still doing something. Inaction is going to allow under-performance to fester on your team and sadly, many managers don't see this perspective, the team results suffer and it looks like the leader doesn't know how to manage a team.

Taking no action is silently supporting what's happening and everyone on the team sees this and they feel hopeless that things will improve so others begin to care less as well.

The effective performers are relying on their leader to manage the under-performer. When they see this isn't going to occur, things spiral and the team results suffer and the overall work output also suffers.

These situations rarely resolve themselves without the leader stepping in to coach and guide things forward. Don't ignore things, if you have an issue, take steps toward solving it as quickly as possible.

Don’t forget to collaborate

Consider what’s causing the problem and don’t focus exclusively on what the under-performer needs to do to remedy the situation — think about what changes you can make as well, to guide things forward to meet expectations and drive results. You're the leader of this team, so this under-performance is giving you an opportunity to lead.

Things leaders often need to ask include: Is the person a poor fit for the job? Does he/she lack the necessary skills? Or is he/she just misunderstanding expectations or goals? There is very often a mismatch between what managers and employees think is important when it comes to performance. It’s critical to consider the role you might be playing in this problem on your team. Somehow, former action or inaction from you may have contributed to this negative situation. After all, it’s rare that it’s all the subordinate’s fault just as it’s rare that it’s all the boss’s. Collaborate to resolve.

Don't forget to make a plan

Create a concrete plan for what both you and the employee are going to do differently, agreeing on measurable actions so you can mark progress. You should also ask what resources the employee needs to accomplish those goals. You don’t want her to make promises she can’t meet. Then, give her time. Everyone needs time to change and maybe learn or acquire new skills.

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Here’s are three important steps to stay on top of things after the initial meeting and plan:

1. Regularly monitor their progress

It may seem obvious, but unfortunately, many managers fail to follow-up. Ask the person to check in with you regularly, or set up a time and date in the future to check progress. It may be helpful to ask the employee if he has someone that he’d like you to enlist in the effort. Ask: “Is there anyone you trust who can provide me with feedback about how well you’re doing in making these changes?” Doing this sends a positive message: “It says I want this to work and I want you to feel comfortable; I’m not going to sneak around your back.”

2. Respect confidentiality

Along the way, it’s important to keep what’s happening confidential — while also letting others know you’re working on the underperformance problem. This is a tricky line to tow. Don’t discuss the specific details with others, but you might tell them something like: “Bill and I are working together on his output and lately we’ve had good discussions. I need your help in being as positive and supportive as you can.”

3. If there isn’t improvement, take action

If things don’t get better, change the tenor of the discussion. At some point you leave coaching and get into the consequences speech. You might say, ‘Let me be very clear that this is the third time this has happened and since your behavior hasn’t changed, I need to explain the consequences,' Corrective actions, particularly letting someone go, shouldn’t be taken lightly. “When you fire somebody, it not only affects that person, but also you, the Company, and everybody around you."

While it may be painful to fire someone, it may be the best option for your team. It’s disheartening if you see the person next to you not performing. The person you’re asking to leave is only one of the stakeholders. The people left behind are counting on you. When people feel the process is fair, they’re willing to accept an unfavorable outcome.

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Praise and reward positive change

Of course if the person makes positive changes, say so. Make clear that you’re noticing the developments and reward him accordingly. At some point, if the non-performer has improved, be sure to take them off the death spiral. You want a team that can make mistakes and learn from them.🌈