How to Deal with Performance Issues and Not Lose Your Mind
Silence when people don’t perform lets everyone know performance doesn’t matter.
7 causes of poor performance:
#1. Management makes it nearly impossible to say no. When employees can’t say no to your face, they say it to your back.
#2. People-pleasing employees smile and say yes, when they should discuss their schedule, deliverables, and priorities with management.
#3. Conflict averse teammates nod their heads but express disapproval with lack of follow through.
#4. Internal systems discourage performance. An employee takes on new tasks and ends up dropping some balls. What happens? They’re punished rather than supported. They learn to pull back.
#5. Lack of honor, reward, or praise for desired behaviors.
#6. Lack of ability or desire.
#7. Uncertainty regarding priorities. Uncertainty makes nervous squirrels of all of us. First one way. Then the other. Finally, run over.
When performance disappoints:
#1. Follow up quickly on second occurrences. Don’t have the same conversation twice and expect different results.
#2. Explore desire and ability. Do they want to perform in this area? Are they able?
Seek the highest good, not reluctant compliance.
#3. Design and establish short-term interventions with teammates. Possible interventions:
- Explore what worked in the past.
- Discuss specific behaviors that get the job done. Generalities block successful interventions.
- Establish a deadline. (Or ask them to.) “In order to keep things running smoothly, I need this by … . Is that doable for you?”
- Schedule an update email after the task is completed. “It will help me if you send an update email after this job is done.”
- Establish your accountability. “If I don’t hear from you, I’ll stop in at 3:00 p.m. to see how things are going.”
Explore behaviors that enable forward movement.
Accountability:
Exemplify personal accountability. Follow through. Delay says it’s not important.
Follow-up with compassion and resolve in ways that:
- Value people.
- Challenge performance.
- Respect organizational goals.
How might managers deal with performance issues as partners?
What short-term interventions to deal with performance issues might you suggest?
I chuckled out loud when I read the title of this post, since I have myself almost been driven to distraction in dealing with performance problems. Of course, approaches to these issues can vary significantly according to the type of work being done, experience and maturity of the “performers,” the degree of autonomy that can be granted while ensuring accountability, etc.. One factor that I always found essential was to make absolutely sure, within the bounds of human understanding, that my people knew the expected standard of performance, and what it looked like in practice. It is patently unfair to expect people to guess or figure out the standard by which their performance will be judged (not to mention self-defeating). The steps you suggest will certainly help in that process.
Thanks Jim. I feel the compassion AND drive for performance in your comment. Few things are more important.
Tucked away in your comment, I read, “What it looked like in practice.” You can’t overlook that. You might feel like you’re treating people like babies if you go over the specifics of a behavior. It’s better to get clarity before than to correct after.
Cheers
Very good post, Dan.
Leaders seeking to advance the organization’s mission should ensure that people understand what is expected of them and what difference their efforts make to the organization’s outcomes.
No job is too menial, and no person lacks importance. Likewise, no person deserves their job or is so good they cannot improve.
In this context, one of a leader’s jobs is to ensure that people understand what is expected of them, then to quickly follow up on either good or bad performance with feedback. Waiting until review time is being lazy and is ineffective. Not noticing and reacting to good or bad performance is a lack of leadership. Not modeling good performance is hypocrisy.
The leader’s role should not be to hold people accountable to management’s rules, but to hold them responsible for giving their best to support the organization. People need to be able to have tools, training, and organizational freedom to succeed, then be expected to do so.
This is a two-way street. People’s efforts should result in measurable benefits to the organization, and measurable benefits to them. Some of those benefits may be money, but many will not. A passionate leader who is deeply involved, deeply caring, deeply committed will school him/herself in the science of management, but also will scrabble, persist, show true grit in the advancement of the organization, its people, and those who profit from it. He/she will encourage, cajole, reprove, teach – in love.
Performance management apart from leadership is rules based, can be gamed, leads to resentment and discord. Performance management based on purpose is difficult but rewarding, something to which any championship team, graduating medical doctor, or mountain climber reaching the summit can attest.
Thanks Marc. There’s loads of great stuff in your comment. When I got down to your last paragraph it really hit home. “Performance management apart from leadership is rules based…”
That’s an incredible statement that’s filled with challenge and opportunity. How might we rise above rules and focus more one purpose?
I found your transition from accountability to responsibility important. I think responsibility is holding ourselves accountable.
Cheers
We used to teach a course in Confrontation Skills. We had a nice smooth title for it about performance improvement but it taught, and gave practice, to managers to deal with deficient performance positively, BUT TO DEAL WITH IT. They would select their most difficult employee, sometimes the union rep or similar, and work up a strategy around the model that included, “What can you do differently to help us resolve this?” and “NOW, do you see this as a problem for you?”
The approach was to both generate alternative behaviors by the individual but to also communicate that the performance simply could not continue as it was.
Net results was that EVERYONE’s morale improved, given anonymous employee surveys. Even the person “confronted felt better since they were now contributing to the teamwork. The best performers also felt that they were now more appreciated, since who wants to do more work for the same basic pay?
Poor performance is toxic. And the Round Wheels for performance improvement already exist. All we need to do is involve and engage people. They actually LIKE being good performers, if they can act congruent with their values and the organization’s expectations.
.
Thanks Dr. Scott. Your statement that poor performance is toxic is a strong warning to all managers and leaders.
Love your questions.
I wodner if the word NOW is “HOW, do you see this as a problem for you?” Either way, I like HOW. 🙂
I am absolutely saving this quote! “Uncertainty regarding priorities. Uncertainty makes nervous squirrels of all of us. First one way. Then the other. Finally, run over”
Great Article!
Thanks Stephanie. I’ve been there. It isn’t pretty.
another simply but excellent post.
thanks Nigel
Hi Dan;
Nothing disappoints me as of 9/11/2016,, “i’ve retired.” Twenty five years (25), with the PA DOC. From CO to SGT, CERT Team to Staff Trainer, Hostage Negotiator/HNT Trainer as well as an advocate/Speaker/Presenter-(Character Based Leadership). Oh yea, almost forgot, Certified Curriculum Designer of Legally defendable Lesson plans and last but not least, Leadership Consultant.
“Thank you DOC, from those I went to War with daily, to Mike Dooley & ALL @ the Academy, (esp you Gere), and to you Secretary, John Wetzel, “thanks for reaching out to me regarding Leadership and allowing me the priveledge of beginning to Design and Incorporate ‘New’ Leadership Development Training Systems for the 16,000 Employees of the Pennsylvania Department of Correction.
Interested parties looking to employ, well, you read it, I’M AVAILIABLE.
No excuse for not getting together Dan.
HOLLER
Cheers My Friend (hope 2 c u soon)
SGT STEVE
Thank you. I could use this strategy on my next management meeting.
Dan, what about if the issue in not performance. Maybe doing the bearly minimum to comply, but thier issues are such as gossip, badmouthing her boss among deparment peers and even to other bosses, creating anti-boss groups to fracture their boss, among others… Treat the issue with same strategy,… and perhaps three strikes youre gone or something?
Particularly enjoy the phrase, “Exemplify personal accountability” – an excellent summary of what is important to demonstrate and similarly the clear practical advice. Looking forward to reading more.
Really great stuff. My favorite is number 7, with the phrase “Uncertainty makes nervous squirrels of all of us”. I totally agree.
Expounding on that topic – uncertainty regarding not only priorities, but also the direction of the team/org can be very detrimental. Can employees answer for themselves the question “what are we trying to accomplish?” can they definitely describe the direction we are all heading in together? I think too often the answer is ‘no’ – thus, there is a lack of clarity and direction that permeates into every day work.
I love this post. I’m going to hang on to it. Thanks!
Thanks Dan, you describe highly recognizable situations leaders overlook on a daily basis. For leaders that want to break out of such dilemmas but don’t know how, there is a guide to help you get beyond what you read in Dan’s article: http://www.leadershipdialogue.eu – to guide you through conversations about getting better at leading your people; by talking with your people!