Episode Summary:
In this episode of “Mondays with Mike,” host Mike Staver answers a question from a manager struggling to address an underperforming employee without appearing harsh or dismissive. Mike offers a clear, step-by-step approach for handling the situation effectively. He starts by emphasizing the importance of clarity—leaders must first ensure they have clearly communicated their expectations to the employee. According to Gallup, 70% of employees report a lack of clarity in their roles, making it essential to verify that the employee understands what’s expected of them.
Next, Mike advises managers to meet with the underperforming employee more frequently to provide coaching and guidance. This hands-on approach gives leaders the opportunity to help the employee improve over a set period of time. If performance doesn’t improve despite these efforts, it may become an HR issue that requires a more serious conversation about the employee’s future with the company.
Key Takeaways:
- Begin by assessing whether you’ve clearly communicated expectations to the underperforming employee.
- Meet with the employee more frequently to provide coaching and support as performance issues arise.
- Set a specific timeline for improvement and measure progress over time.
- If the employee’s performance does not improve, it may lead to HR intervention and a serious discussion about their future with the company.
- Addressing underperformance requires both clarity and consistent follow-up from leadership.
Notable Quotes:
- “First, do an inventory about how clear you’ve been on the expectations.”
- “Meet with them more consistently… that gives you a chance to coach them up.”
- “If performance doesn’t start to come up, then that becomes an HR problem.”
- “You set a timeline for when you’d like performance to improve, and then you measure that performance over time.”
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