Read time: 5 minutes
If your employee is repeatedly not performing to the level you are expecting, you may be partly to blame.
Here is the problem: I would be willing to guess that you believe that you give clear instructions when delegating AND/OR you’re avoiding going through with the consequences of an unfulfilled performance management plan (if there is one in place) – either way – it’s not them, it’s you.
Don’t believe me?
How many of the following strategies do you employ to mitigate the effects or gaps in the less-than-stellar quality of work output from your weakest performer?
Do you tend to put in a few extra hours to clean up their work yourself?
Do you tend to avoid delegating higher-stakes tasks/projects to certain individuals?
Do you continually skip over the same individuals’ name when promotions come up?
Do you exclude certain people’s input or take it less seriously than others’ on the team?
Does your energy shift in a negative way in a particular individual’s presence?
When leaders come to me about an under-performer on their team, my first question is always. “Have you explicitly communicated your concerns with this employee?”. Shockingly (well, not so much anymore), the answer is often “not really”.
What’s at the root of most under-performers?
The truth is most employees don’t even know that their work is sub-par. Not kidding. It’s that simple. While they may feel that something is off, they are often left in the dark about how their boss really feels about the mediocre quality of their work. The most common clues they get that signal to something isn’t quite right, come from noticing they aren’t included in major projects or being used for significant tasks. With time, they notice that they are constantly being passed up for promotions, or worse yet: they are let go!
In fact, here is how most people handle the under-performing employee:
They avoid the conversation all-together (they talk themselves out of thinking they are the right person to have the conversation with the employee in the first place);
They justify the undesirable result with reasons that are out of their control (for example, the individual was sick or away) and convince themselves that whatever factor got in the way this time won’t be a factor next time.
They find reasons to delay (this can be hidden behind excuses like “I need more info,”; “I’m just waiting to another individual to get back to me.”; “I don’t want to disrupt them in their work,”; “I don’t have time right now.” “I don’t think they mean anything by it” and “I’m sure it will get resolved with time and experience.”
They face it head-on but it’s awkward, rushed and nothing is really done to educate or prevent deficient performance from happening again in the future.
Now, before you start being too hard on yourself, just know you are not the alone. The majority of small to medium organizations don’t have a process in place. And unfortunately, because there is no process in place, the unproductive cycle persists.
Here’s how I would handle it:
1. Make the decision that from now on, you will take pro-active measures to ensure that the quality of work that comes back from all team members is exactly what it needs to be.
2. Next, if you don’t already do this, set up regular weekly or bi-weekly 1-to-1's with all your direct reports. Book a time in your calendar, send them a calendar invite, along with brief talking points. By meeting more regularly, you can be more proactive about checking in on work you delegated. It also provides an opportunity for your team members to ask questions and ask for support required to be successful. To make this possible, you will most likely be best to block this time in your schedule (and theirs) well ahead of time (like, in quarterly batches).
3. Prepare yourself mentally for the meeting. Take a few moments before the meeting to ground yourself. People tend to reflect the energy of others they engage with. As the leader, you get to set the tone for these meetings.
4. Clear assumptions/labels you hold about each of your team members. We’re not as good at hiding our emotions as we would like to think we are. I have yet to meet someone who wakes up in the morning with the intention of ruining their boss’ day. Step into these conversations with the assumption that the other person is doing their best with the information they have. Don’t assume they “just know”.
5. When the meeting begins, go over the talking points and make clear that this is a 2-sided discussion. Both sides will have an opportunity to ask questions and gain clarification around expectations. Let’s face it. Both sides want to be successful, and that’s usually dependent on successful completion of the task or project. See each other as allies after the same result rather than me vs them.
6. To make sure there is a clear understanding of what is expected, do what Brené Brown calls “paint it done”. Describe in detail what the final task/project should look like, then ask the other person to describe what they picture in their minds from your description. Adjust as necessary. It is MUCH easier to hold someone accountable when expectations are clear (and documented).
7. Ensure both parties walk away with what they need from the conversation and plan/book the next chat before the next project milestone to avoid any surprises.
With time, you may be able to lift your foot off the pedal with some of your team members as they learn to work in a way that satisfies the organization’s needs. Though keep in mind, these 1-to-1's is not just for your own peace of mind. They are a way to ensure you regularly connect with each of your team members to support them so that they can do their best work, reducing the need for difficult conversations down the road.
Whenever you are ready, there are 2 other ways I can help you:
1. If you are still looking to further improve your leadership skills, let me recommend starting with an affordable course:
→ The New Leader’s Survival Guide: Time Management
→ Stand Out From The Rest: Communicate Like An Effective Leader
2. If you are looking for a more customized leadership development experience, leadership coaching may be the better option to get you to your professional development goals faster. Book a complimentary “Discovery Call” to discuss your goals and see if working with a leadership coach might be the way to go.