The Art of Managing Underperformers — Maybe it’s you, maybe it’s us…
Ok, we’re back in business people! Busy old time helping some exciting new clients build their organisations to avoid and mitigate people debt. More on that soon, but check out the link above for a little write up on my thoughts on that with the team at Sana.
Reminder: If you want to develop and grow your managers, or you’re a manager wanting to improve — get in touch with us about our Manager Accelerator Programme:
For now? We’re diving back into the uncomfortable topic of under performers.
With that in mind, I want to cover two things:
- What causes underperformance?
- How can you solve for the different causes?
The context:
One of the questions we get asked the most in our manager accelerator programme is: How do I handle an underperforming employee?
You all know the ones, they seem to demand all your attention, breed negativity among their peers, and pose the greatest HR risk, all while contributing the least.
It’s a problem that plagues managers, leaders and founders. But what if I told you that the key to breaking this cycle isn’t in how you handle these employees, but rather in asking yourself the right question, it’s not about what you can do, instead:
Why is this person underperforming?
The answer to this question lies on a spectrum, and it determines who owns the problem. As we move from left to right on that spectrum, ownership shifts from us as managers and the business (see my earlier piece on people debt) to the employee, and the problems become more personal and harder for them to hear.
It’s the manager’s responsibility to figure out the root cause and address it accordingly.
So let’s dig into these areas a little more. I want to pull out the reasons with some specific ways you can have an impact and make a difference.
Lack of Resources
This is a blindingly obvious one and the easiest to fix. It’s also very much an “Us not you” problem. Not to say that a good employee shouldn’t be fighting to get the resources they need, but in general, not giving people the tools, software, processes or support they need to succeed is like tying their hands behind their back.
What happens in this case? Well not only will you have underperformers, but you will also breed frustration and resentment — and potentially negativity amongst the team. Only making the problem worse.
Worth also noting, that resources can also be the money to build out a broader team, or to spend on external resource to boost growth. You’ve got to spend money to make money…
How do we solve it?
Don’t just assume you know what your employees need — ask them! By engaging in open and honest conversations, you’ll foster trust and better understand the key to their success.
- By being proactive, you create an environment where employees can flourish and eliminate potential excuses later down the line.
- Assess the situation: Ask your team if they have adequate resources (tools, equipment, time, and support) to do their job. Make sure they know they won’t be penalised for asking for help!
- Communicate: Don’t just do this once — instead keep open channels with your team to identify any resource gaps or challenges they might be facing. Don’t over promise that resources will come when budgets are tight, but be clear what you’ll ask for and how you’ll help if you don’t get it.
- Advocate: Make sure you have their back and fight their corner at a time when budgets are tight. Be clear on what you need, not want.
- For instance, if your marketing team is struggling to keep up with content creation, you could ask your CFO to provide additional support by hiring a freelance writer or investing in content creation tools.
So if we start here, and ensure they have all of this, but it’s not the root cause, what next?
Lack of Clarity
The second reason people may underperform is due to unclear expectations. Even if people know what their role is, they may not know what is expected of them in that role.
Managers need to be clear about the 2–3 most important things that the person needs to deliver and how to deliver them.
Additionally, as the organisation changes or scales other aspects come into play
- The job description that was posted when someone was hired may no longer reflect the reality of their role.
- The goals of the business might have changed, but it’s not been well communicated how their function fits in.
- People may not know what they are responsible for or how their role aligns with the overall business objectives. Fundamentally, they may not know what is expected of them in that role. Read more on expectations here:
How do we solve it?
To address this, you need to ensure that every member of the team knows exactly what their role is and how it aligns with the business needs.
- Set clear objectives: Clearly define expectations, objectives, and performance metrics for each role within your team.
- Delegate clearly: Does the person know the following
- What they own
- At what level they own it
- Who needs to participate, approve, etc
- And on what timeline?
- Offer guidance: Regularly check in with your employees to review their progress and address any confusion.
- Encourage feedback: Create an environment where employees feel comfortable discussing their concerns or asking for clarification, again, it’s all about that trust flowing both ways.
Desire
Employee motivation is a critical factor in performance. If an employee lacks the desire to perform well, it can be super challenging to achieve results and really bring down folks around them.
This is a personal issue, and it carries very clear consequences. If an employee doesn’t want to do the job, then we can’t let them keep it for long.
As managers, we must be clear about this as soon as you notice it. It’s essential to be an employee’s fan or coach when they have the mindset to accept that support and help, but we can’t want it for them. If they don’t have the will to meet the required standards, then we’re going to find ourselves at an impasse and you’ll need to be clear about those consequences that they might face.
This might sound harsh, but frankly, it’s the one where you’ll need to act the fastest compared to others.
However, this doesn’t mean you can’t act to turn it around. It’s not an impossible situation, but attitudes are the hardest root cause to solve.
How do we solve it?
- Understand their challenges and motivations: Why have they lost their desire, dig deeper into the root causes first. Have an open and calm conversation with them about it and show you’re there to support them. Talk through what does motivate them.
- Be clear on expectations: At the same time, you have to be clear on what the company and you as their manager expect from them. They need to know where the line is, and you can ask about whether they agree they’re missing the bar.
- Get them to think about the below diagram:
- Coach them — but only if they’re open to it: If they recognise the consequences and really want to grow, make it clear you’re there to support and show up for them. Read more on coaching here:
- Be clear on what happens if change doesn’t happen: Be clear on what the next steps are if you can’t work together to turn things around. If there is a severe drop in communication or quality still happening after intervention, then you have a real problem and you need to act fast.
Chances are, if they’re frustrated, it’s ten times worse for them. And they want out of that pain even more than you do. Help them make that decision. Are they in or are they out?
Ability
So by this point, the good news is that we’ve got someone who is willing to put in the effort and we’ve provided them with all the necessary resources and clarity to succeed.
However, the reality is that even with these measures in place, some individuals may still fall short of meeting the necessary standards. It’s certainly rarer for this to be the case, but it happens.
Unfortunately, there’s no magic solution to this issue, and it ultimately comes down to making an informed decision based on sound judgement about their trajectory.
But how do we determine when progress is sufficient and when it’s not enough?
How do we solve it?
Ray Dalio’s performance bar is a simple model for thinking about it — it’s all about the trajectory. Do they have the pace to go above the acceptable bar and meet the excellent bar?
But how else can we approach this?
- Identify gaps: Evaluate the employee’s strengths and weaknesses to determine the areas that need improvement. Ask them if they share your opinions on those, and what might be causing them.
- Guide them: Show examples of what great work looks like, and potentially bring them away from delegation and back into the land of direction for a bit. Be clear you’re going to do this to help them, and that the aim is for them to learn what great looks like.
- Give them confidence they can get there: Don’t hold their hand but be clear you have their back. Show them examples of where others have needed support. Help them feel less singled out.
- Again, be clear on what happens if change doesn’t happen: Be clear on what the next steps are if you can’t work together to turn things around. If there is a severe drop in communication or quality still happening after intervention, then you have a real problem and you need to act. Give them longer to change things than you would to those lacking desire though.
To conclude
So we’ve answered the core questions:
What causes underperformance?
How can you solve for the different causes?
In 98% of cases, the issue is resolved. Our low performer is back on track, or we’ve agreed to part ways.
But there is a very small percentage where despite all the pieces being in the mix, they just never quite fall into place.
What then?
The only path I’ve seen work is honesty — being empathetic and clear.
Discuss the gaps. Reiterate the expectation. Put a timeline on the decision.
Sometimes that person doesn’t fit the system. Sometimes the role is designed incorrectly. Sometimes it’s an insurmountable personality clash. It doesn’t make them a bad employee, just not right for the role or the company.
This leads us to the last question. One we need to think clearly and answer for ourselves:
- Is this working?
Because your team needs you as a manager to make a call. Sooner rather than later.
Reminder: If you want to develop and grow your managers, or you’re a manager wanting to improve — get in touch with us about our Manager Accelerator Programme:
Thanks for reading, please follow me on Twitter @brdbrnm or check out our medium page for more reading
