Managing an Underperforming Employee

When you are dealing with an underperforming team member do the following: Decide that you want them to succeed and don’t doubt their potential

a. It is imperative that you take on this mindset. Your desire for them to succeed should drive your actions. If you immediately decide they are failures, then there is no drive to help them. This framing will also lead you on a path towards collaborative performance solutions. When others feel that we have faith in their ability to perform, they are more likely to show up and actually try.

Evaluate contributing factors

a. Things are not always black/white. There could be a variety of underlying issues that cause your team member to perform poorly. This is your opportunity to evaluate how you can remove obstacles to success. You may not be able to fix everything, but having the knowledge of what is wrong can better inform a meaningful action plan. You may find that there is an inefficient process that is slowing things down, your team member has unknowingly been roped into a project that you were unaware of, maybe they have a stressful home situation, maybe they do not feel appreciated, or maybe they are experiencing health issues. So many factors can contribute to a change in performance.

Ask Help-Centered questions

a. A help-centered question is a question that seeks to provide a solution. So instead of saying “why are messing up?” You ask “how can I help you succeed?” Framing the discussion with these types of questions will set a positive and productive tone.

Listen

a. Listen actively and fully. When they share their rationale, suspend your judgment and just take in what they are sharing. As you listen, note if there is a disparity in what is said and the nonverbal communication. Everything in your exchange provides feedback of some kind that can be useful in determining a solution.

Establish inclusive accountability

a. Inclusive accountability means that you not only hold your team member accountable for improving their performance, but you also hold yourself accountable for ensuring that their performance improves. This is not the time to say “it’s ok”. Glossing over the issue is not productive and is a disservice to your team member. They should have a clear understanding of what you expect. This means that as much as you need to hold them accountable you must also hold yourself accountable to be transparent and honest with them. Additionally, you are holding both parties accountable for developing an actionable plan to improve the team member’s performance.

Collaborate on an action plan

a. It is important that the plan for improvement is a collaboration. By collaborating on the plan, you are encouraging commitment by both parties. Ensure that there is a clear goal, mile markers, feedback structure, and an understanding of the potential outcomes pending the changes.

Follow-up and Follow-through

a. You established a plan with your team member and that will mean nothing if you do not actually engage in the follow-up steps. Are things improving? Have you held up your end of the bargain? Have they held up their end of the agreement?

In the best-case scenario their performance improves, worst case it declines or stays the same. This step of evaluation and feedback is not always easy; sometimes things do not improve. If that is the case and things have remained the same or declined further, then you must proceed with the outcomes you outlined in your previous plan. If that includes terminating employment, then you need to do that. This is not cruel; it is actually the respectful thing to do for both parties. If someone is not capable of performing the job tasks, then it is not respectful or helpful to keep them in that job. If you are able to transition them into a more appropriate role then that may be an option; if another position doesn’t exist then it is best to move on.