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Leadership Options
Review - Where you are in the sequence of determining whether to continue investing in the team member? How have they responded to any suggestion of the need for performance improvement? David Dunning and Justin Kruger offer their "Dunning-Kruger Effect" of the cognitive bias some with limited competence can have in overestimating their abilities. What is the team member's self-assessment compared to or contrasting with the objective performance measures of shared goals and 360 degree feedback from reports, peers, and senior leaders? Set your deadline of when you will decide next steps along with attention to the necessary HR processes and procedures that might lead to termination.
Retrain - Establish their development needs and create, with them, a Performance Development Plan. Consider the technical or tactical skills not yet at an acceptable level for expected performance. Identify the behavioral and interpersonal skills essential for collaborating with the greater team of employees. An essential component of retraining is their understanding of and engagement with the elements described in the Development Plan. An internal or external coach, mentor, or sponsor will be of value in managing, monitoring, and measuring progress to determine performance success.
Reassign - The previous step of retraining can conclude that the team member has valuable skills and is a complement to the cultural values of the organization. But, they are not yet in the best position to maximize their productive potential and contribution to the strategic success of the company. Some companies provide a job rotation experience among different job roles within the same department or across departments. This not only builds one's business acumen but also identifies their connection to the best role for the greatest contribution to the bottom line and their own job satisfaction. From a comprehensive HR strategy, job rotation fosters a versatile and agile workforce.
Release & Replace - Clarity and consistency of expectations set the stage to fairly and gracefully conclude the end to a team member's employment with attention to legal HR compliance. Document their performance issues and the opportunities provided for improvement. When the decision is indefinitely delayed, the toll on team engagement and team loyalty is eventually evident to all. Best practices include a face to face three-person meeting with HR and their manager. The conversation should be brief and professional with immediate closure of access to all company equipment, email, and internal conversations. Provide the personal resources of an Employee Assistance Program as well as outplacement that will be helpful in their transition.
Leadership Debrief
The underperformer is a reminder of Jim Collin's metaphor of getting the right person on the right bus in the right seat. Sometimes we find the wrong person on the right bus in the right seat. Even if they can do the job and want to do the job, it can be a question of cultural fit: Do we like them while they are doing the job? Competence and drive are often the primary criteria in assessing a team member's performance, but fit, even in the diversity of the culture, can be as critical. The lack of fit can reflect a toxic personality, being out of step with the values that define the organizational culture, or that contrarian person who does not support the vision, mission, or leadership provided by those at the most senior level.
Enhancing the strengths of successful leaders,
Dick Daniels
Certified Master Coach
Dd@theLDG.org
www.theLDG.org
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2821289/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/theleadershipdevelopmentgroup/
https://amazon.com/author/dickdaniels
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