How can active listening and empathy help you address poor performance and accountability?

Let's look at this holistically. Why would anyone join a corporate to be performing poorly and face the brunt of everyone around? Trust me, it's no one's deliberate intention. Poor performance occurs whenever people do not know how to perform their jobs and are unable to meet job requirements. There is no better solution than talking openly to such a team member, listening with trust, about what bottlenecks are impending performance, does the person truly appreciate the workplace and the team, the nature of the work, which skills match, and which ones need honing, and above all, is the team member dealing with something serious on the personal front. It is not always about the organization, but also about the lives of its people.

Active listening helps you hear all the details there in a situation or discussion. With that information well noted It supports my informed suscussion and both parties will have agreeable deliverables that are meaaureable. Then, i will track progress. If situation remains i will apply PDCA tool.This has workes for me over years now. ??

Active listening involves fully concentrating, understanding, and responding thoughtfully to what is being said. Empathy goes a step further by putting oneself in the other person's shoes, understanding their feelings and perspectives. For instance, when an employee is underperforming, actively listening helps to grasp the root causes, while empathy enables a deeper understanding of their challenges.

1:1 conversations based on active listening and empathy can be game changers to engage people. It makes them feel valued. In the current BANI world,these two traits of a leader can enable people to feel involved,foster a sense of belongingness. When a leader goes that extra mile, people feel like going beyond their comfort zones to grow into a better version of themselves. This improves productivity and accountability.

Listening is the a key tool for understanding what, how, when and what happened in a situation or with the person you're in a discussion with. Know one is a mind reader so one must speak up for you to support performance and accountability matrix.

Active listening and empathy are crucial in addressing performance issues because they help uncover underlying problems. An employee’s poor performance might stem from personal struggles or misunderstandings about their role. Understanding these through empathetic listening can lead to more effective solutions than mere disciplinary actions.

People's are the main assets of Organisations.The better strategy is to lead by influence rather than authority.Listening to the other person's point of view,with empathy, to understand first and then respond enables a leader to bring out the best in their team members.These two traits are a must- have and must-use as a tool for the growth of individual team members and lead the team and Organisation to ambitious heights

Listening helps you to have a feel of what's happening or happenes. Its expectes you make some gestures along your listening. This gives the messenger comfort that you're present in the discussion and you're taken notes.

To employ these skills, focus entirely on the employee during conversations about their performance. Ask open-ended questions and reflect back what you’ve heard to ensure understanding. For example, “It sounds like you’ve been overwhelmed with the new software, how can we support you in this?”

Here it is useful to wear the Coaching hat - Ask rather than Tell- to create a buy in through collaboration,a healthy exchange and pooling together of ideas,so that the BEST solution,in the given context,emerges. The team members feel included and evolve a collaborative culture within the team.

All tasks must be agrees with the parties. This makes the person to be accountable for delivering at when do or evwn surpassed expectations.

After understanding the employee's perspective, collaborate on creating a realistic action plan. This could involve setting specific performance goals, offering additional training, or modifying workload. The key is to make the employee feel involved and accountable for the improvement process.

In my professional journey, I actively sought to enhance these skills by engaging in role-playing exercises during training sessions. In one exercise, I played the role of an employee struggling with time management, while a colleague acted as the manager. This reversal of roles was enlightening; it helped me understand the employee's perspective and the importance of empathetic responses. I also started requesting feedback on my listening skills in meetings and one-on-one interactions, which provided insights into areas for improvement, such as avoiding interruptions while others are speaking. These practices have significantly improved my ability to listen actively and empathize, making me a more effective communicator.

Beyond individual conversations, consider how your organizational culture and policies might impact performance and accountability. Sometimes systemic issues like unclear job roles or lack of resources contribute to poor performance, which requires broader organizational changes. In summary, addressing performance issues effectively involves a combination of active listening and empathy, enabling a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by employees and fostering a collaborative approach to finding solutions. This method not only addresses immediate issues but also contributes to a more supportive and productive workplace culture.

One thing that has worked for me is to make gestures while listening to any conversation that way the messenger will feel comfortable thatvi am present and with positive vibes to offer authentic solutions.