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It depends.
A year ago, I wrote an article about terrorists. You may recall that according to the Welch Grid, a terrorist employee gives you above-average job performance and below-average employee behavior. The question then was whether you should fire them. The easy answer was “Of course”. The reality is it’s typically a very tough decision and even more difficult to execute.
The decision about a “cheerleader” is more interesting. The cheerleader employee gives us below-average job performance and above-average employee behavior. For whatever reason, their performance is less than expected. This might be a temporary situation or it could be long-term. Either way, it just became apparent to you.
The cheerleader’s behavior is usually very good relative to company values and group norms. This may have been one of your original employees who has stuck it out with you through thick and thin. These are usually more utility players, generalists, who lack specific skills but can wear a lot of organizational hats.
Cheerleaders are very hard to let go. They're your top supporters. They know the company fight song. They show up early. Leave late. They organize the company holiday party. They're passionate about their work.
There's usually one of three reasons for an employee to become a cheerleader.
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