Staff who don’t perform

One of the most difficult parts of leadership is dealing with non-performing people. You have to do the difficult, painful work of discussing an employee’s shortcomings and then figuring out how to fix them.

1. They assess the long-term work habits of the employee.

There’s a big difference between an employee who consistently does not meet performance standards, and a good employee who has hit a slump. A good leader will be sure to look at each employee, and each employee’s situation, individually.

Use metrics, past reports, and work performance history, plus your own personal experience with the employee, to determine if you’re dealing with a consistent non-performer or with a stressful, unfocused, or overloaded time that is keeping a good, performing employee from doing well.

2. They listen first and talk later.

A good leader doesn’t assume that he or she knows the underlying causes of the non-performance. It’s time to call a meeting and listen. You may think you know the cause or frustration or bad habits, but until you hear it from your employee, you really can’t be sure.

Sit down with your employee and ask how work is going. Ask for frustrations. Ask about problems. Ask about progress. Find out if your employee is aware of the performance issues or not.

3. They share specific problems and examples.

A smart leader knows that generic feedback is only going to frustrate and confuse a non-performing employee. Chances are that your non-performer is already overwhelmed and unsure of how to improve. Simply throwing out feedback like, “You really need to do better,” or, “Let’s make sure this next quarter is better than the last,” does not provide any specific, practical steps for your employee to take.

Instead, share specific ways that you want your employee to change and improve. Provide hard numbers for specific areas of responsibility so that your employee knows exactly what you are looking for and whether he or she is close to the goal.

4. They keep track of progress.

A smart leader knows that a single meeting or talk is not going to be enough to change old habits. If your employee has a long-term tendency to not live up to standards, it’s going to take time and ongoing help to change those habits.

In order to provide the right kind of help, you need to know what progress your employee is making and where he or she is still falling short. Keep track of the numbers and the performances in the specific areas you’ve given the employee to work on. The ones that are still below standards will show you where you need to step in and provide further help and instruction.

5. They encourage.

Encouragement is important, especially when an employee is working hard to overcome old, bad habits or a stressful situation or particularly heavy workload. As you keep track of the progress your employee is making – or not making – look for areas where you can provide encouragement.

Encouragement is different than praise. Praise is a positive response to something already done or completed: “Great job on that report!” Encouragement is a positive response to something being done, something in progress: “You’re making good progress and I know that report is going to be great.”