What do you do if your team members are struggling with their performance and need constructive feedback?

At this stage, i also seek to understand if personal values are converging with organizational values. I have experienced instances where individuals change their behavior over time, reduce their engagement or make divergent decisions due to conflicts between their beliefs and the company’s purpose. The opposite is also true. I have witnessed examples of individuals who began to perform when I was able to align their personal purpose with organizational values, promoting a sense of personal accomplishment at work.

This involves observing their work habits, productivity, and interactions within the team to pinpoint areas of concern. It may also require seeking feedback from colleagues or conducting performance assessments to gain a comprehensive understanding of the situation. By accurately identifying the issues at hand, you can provide targeted and constructive feedback to support their improvement.

Constructive feedback is essential for helping team members address their performance struggles effectively. Before delivering feedback, take the time to prepare your thoughts and observations carefully. Focus on specific examples of behaviors or outcomes that need improvement, and frame your feedback in a constructive and supportive manner. Highlight both strengths and areas for growth, and offer actionable suggestions for improvement. By providing well-prepared feedback, you can empower your team members to take ownership of their development and make meaningful progress.

Choose a private and neutral setting where team members feel comfortable and respected. This could be a one-on-one meeting in a quiet office space or a virtual conference call for remote team members. Avoid delivering feedback in public or high-pressure environments, which can cause embarrassment or defensiveness. By identifying issues, preparing feedback, and choosing the right setting, you can provide constructive support to struggling team members, fostering their growth and development within the team.

One thing that I have always found well recieved, is while working through building your plan with your team member, to show them your willingness to invest in their growth and effort towards reaching/achieving the new goals you set. This sets the table with the employee and builds new and reinforces existing respect between you and the team member. They are much more likely to work hard to acheive those new goals when they have high levels of respect.

Stay connected with your team member and keep focus on the goals. Utilize all the tools in your toolbelt to keep growth and progress towards your team member reaching their goals and reinforce with them frequently along the way.

Something that helps with the constructive feedback process, is designing your goals and expectations to be clear, specific and measurable. With goals that are not clear or are not very specific, it leaves room for question and interpretation which can make it difficult to have an effective conversation regarding necessary constructive feedback.