One of the privileges I’ve had over the past 35 years is to sit in on corporate and association meetings where executives share their wisdom with colleagues. It has been a wonderful education all by itself. One of these occasions happened a couple of weeks ago and the speaker reminded me of a principle many of us forget or fail to leverage.
Chris, the vice president of fabrication for a large steel construction firm, mentioned in passing that, “Nothing will kill a great employee faster than watching you tolerate a bad one.” This was one of many good points he made to his audience of emerging leaders. But I hope it’s one they really took to heart.
This one eloquent statement carries with it several important implications. First, the principle itself is spot on. When poor performers are not dealt with in an effective manner, everyone around them takes note. If this goes on long enough, the top performers begin to look elsewhere. Second, those who do not deal effectively with poor performing individuals need to reflect on the impact this lack of leadership is having on productivity. Third, in this age of contract attitudes about work in general, the general cohesiveness of many workplaces is more tenuous. In other words, people have less patience for poorly supervised work environments.
Now, it goes without saying that addressing the behavior of poor performers can be an adventure. To begin with, you have to define what they are doing, or not doing, that is making their performance unacceptable. Then you have to develop a way to talk with them that is positive rather than confrontive. Then you have to summon the emotional strength to approach them, especially if they tend to be defensive souls. Finally, you have to follow up when they don’t improve their performance, which is too often the case. Just the heartburn involved with all this dissuades a lot of managers from even attempting to deal with it.
You may also have to deal with the person who has mastered the art of doing as little as possible without doing anything wrong in specific. They’re like an anchor that drags along behind the ship of productivity. When you approach them, too often they respond with something like, “What exactly am I not doing or doing, that you would like me to change? Tell me so can do exactly that.” People who behave like this can make you wonder why you wanted to manage people in the first place.
It would be nice at this point, if I could share the five magic steps you need to address these kinds of situations. But they don’t exist. Each one requires its own treatment. But in dealing with a number of them over the years and watching others do so as well, here’s what I have learned.
First, define specifically what your concerns are. These may have come from your own observation or perhaps the comments or complaints from others. In any case, make sure you’re on solid ground. In other words, verify that the issue is the issue. A person with an abrasive attitude, for instance, may be the source of complaints. But that doesn’t mean they are performing poorly.
Second, take time to consider how to best approach the person. Acting impulsively or with too much emotion can be a recipe for anger and frustration on both sides. If you suspect this will be a touchy situation, rehearse what you plan to say with a trusted colleague who has no vested interest in the outcome. You might also try a spouse or significant other. Having the right words come out can make the difference between a productive conversation and disagreement.
Third, close the conversation by summarizing what behavior needs to change or what expectations needs to be met. You might begin by saying something like, “So what we have agreed is that you will . . .” and then outline the specifics.
Finally, have a plan for follow up. As I mentioned, your first attempt to improve performance may not be successful. If the performance does improve, thank the person for making the effort. But if this is not evident, you will need to reapproach. You might begin by saying, “At the end of our last conversation, we agreed that you would . . .” Once again, rehearsing this beforehand will ensure that you are confident as you do so.
There are no magic strategies for dealing with poor performers. The only thing that is for sure is that your top performers will leave if you don’t address these situations.