Potholes & Performance: The Cost of Avoidance

I was thinking about potholes the other day after hitting one on my commute home. Potholes suck. They can damage your car. They can cost you money. They are everywhere. And they keep popping up. There’s an epidemic of potholery. And what do we do? We wait for them to be filled. Often haphazardly. And never soon enough. They are a problem that keeps on giving, and not in a fun or positive way.

I was also thinking about performance management. And I had a “eureka!” moment. Potholes are like performance management. Just like with potholes, when you avoid managing performance, the issues keep growing, becoming more problematic, becoming more damaging, and costing more time and money.

Let’s dig in!

As leaders, we sometimes don’t address performance management issues soon or adequately enough. I’ve seen it many times where a performance issue is ignored, swept under the rug, and not dealt with for a wide variety of reasons. As most of us might surmise, these instances don’t usually end well.?

At one company, a long-time employee was prone to creating hostile work environments for coworkers. Several complaints were lodged over the years, and nothing really happened. The employee might have gotten a talking to on occasion, but they were still around, and still earning complaints. With one complaint, the company decided to get the employee coaching (expensive coaching) to help with their outbursts. A hefty investment for managing performance.?

At another company, there was a chronic poor performer who kept getting passed off to different managers and becoming their problematic pothole. At another company, there was an employee who crossed the line in terms of inappropriate commentary to other employees. They have been counseled several times, and yet they continue with inappropriate behavior.?

And yet at another company, a senior leader received very poor engagement scores for years. There were many complaints about their communication and leadership, yet nothing was done. They also received some coaching and talkings to, and the engagement scores continued to decline. This person was eventually exited from the company, but it took almost 3 years.

When not addressed, performance issues, like potholes, continue to expand and grow, becoming even more problematic, damaging, and costly.

So, what can we do?

I believe there are a multitude of things that one can do to address performance issues. They all boil down to two things. 1 - doing nothing, and 2 - doing something. Each has their pros and cons.

1 - Think about the repercussions of doing nothing.?

• Some problems could get the leader and the company into legal hot water.?
• Other problems, while they may not come with legal ramifications, they can come with collateral damage. For example, great performers can leave the company if the problematic person persists with their negative shenanigans.?
• Doing nothing also may be a subliminal or completely obvious indication to others that the inappropriate behavior is acceptable and they may start doing something similar. Or worse.
• When thinking about the repercussions of doing nothing, also think about where your line in the sand is to do something.

2 - Address performance issues when they happen. Not after a year or more of repeat, and possibly escalating issues. Now. Address it now.?

• Work with your HR Business Partners or Legal teams (if needed) and devise a plan to correct the issue.?
• We’ve all heard the saying, “Manage up or manage out.” So, try to do just that. Talk with the person, try to gain an understanding of what is going on and why. And, work to correct the issue. And, if, after a reasonable amount of time, it isn’t working, think about how you can rectify the problem so everyone wins, or wins as much as possible. That may include a mutual parting of ways.

I am not an HR Business Partner nor a legal expert. And, I strongly suggest consulting with them early and often if/when you need to address a (significant) performance issue. However, as leaders, it is our responsibility to lead our teams and recognize and address issues as they arise. No one else is watching out for this.?

I’ve seen a few news stories recently about a group of people in a nearby city who are taking pothole repair into their own hands. They are tired of waiting for the city to take action. They are tired of potholes damaging their cars. So, they are filling potholes in their neighborhoods themselves. Drivers greatly appreciate the potholes being filled. Bicyclists are grateful too. The local city government does not appreciate this and is not grateful. They consider these people vigilantes and want them to stop. My hat is off to these stewards of the city streets, for taking swift, decisive, and helpful action to fill those potholes rather than let them continue to grow.

When we sweep issues under the rug, when we let them fester, when we let them grow from small cracks to larger potholes to ginormous sinkholes, that’s on us. We don’t want to lead like an ostrich with our heads in the sand. We want to be empathetic, supportive leaders who look out for our teams and cultivate a respectful, legal, and just workplace.

?? Let’s hear from you. Have you seen small issues become huge ones when performance issues aren’t addressed? What was the issue and how was it ultimately resolved? Please share in the comments.

#Leadership #PerformanceManagement #WorkplaceCulture #HR