Supporting an Underperformer
Laura Britton
"Meeting goals and delivering results by harnessing the potential of our greatest asset - people"
I was having a conversation with a coworker yesterday regarding an individual who was underperforming. I asked to see the documentation that had been given to date. It was very clear, by the list of issues that this individual was not performing in his role. If there was to be any doubt, the performance issues were highlighted with adjectives like "deplorable" and "unacceptable". The document was also written in the third person, as though we were talking about this person as opposed to speaking with them. When it is time for this person to exit, they will be very clear on why they failed and will likely end up leaving feeling like a failure in the process. As an HR leader in an organization, I do not want anyone to reflect on their time with our company in that manner.
I have a little experience with this topic and and have found that very few people are actually trying to do a bad job. A little compassion in this situation can go a long way. If we balance our conversation around an individual's strengths, as well as their opportunities we ignite our own true power to create a culture of trust, teamwork and high performing teams. And YES, we can discuss strengths in a conversation about performance. In a two-way dialog about the areas of opportunity, take a moment to reflect on how those areas differ from the areas of strength. By taking a more compassionate approach to performance management, we create healthier dialog and encourage the confidence to tackle the areas of opportunity. This approach takes no more time than the approach above. It simply requires candor, clarity, compassion and a little investment in creating space for a two-way conversation. Often times the end result is obvious and if that requires an exit conversation, we send someone on their way with a better understanding of why this role is not the best fit. We may also play an important role in supplying someone with the insight and enthusiasm to explore a job that is better suited for them vs. leaving feeling as a failure.
Experienced People Leader/Coach/Advisor
4 年Most people are aware of their struggles. When they get lost, they just need a compass to get back on track. You’re the best, Laura.
Supplier Quality Engineer at TRIGO Aerospace, Defense, & Rail, Americas.
4 年I don’t think you know what “Gangster” means.
ClosedWon Talent & Quota Hunters | Building elite teams
4 年Love this Laura Britton. No matter what we as leaders do, some poor performers are capable of turning things aren't and others aren't. For the ones who can't, I always try to make their exit from the org feel the same as their beginning. Like you said, most people aren't performing poorly because they want to be bad at their job. And if they are bad at it, we should try to help them find a job where they'd thrive.
Vice President - Human Resources at Sevita | Leading HR Strategy for Growth
4 年I enjoyed reading this and it gets the juices flowing as I reflect on these types of conversations. In particular, I’ve coached managers on depersonalizing the feedback while still being personable. Both are possible in tandem. Example - these aren’t “my” expectations as a manager these are “(insert company name)’s” expectations. I can provide feedback on gaps to the expectations or where others demonstrate strength. I can be personable by being supportive. It is my role as a manager to help you identify those gaps and provide feedback. I would be doing you a disservice by not sharing my observations in the spirit of helping you be succesful. If we part ways, manager helped support vs. document failures.