Holding Under-Performers Accountable

The Truth About Why Under-Performers Linger

There are two reasons many managers tolerate under-performers:

1) Under-performers are scary. Managers imagine emotionally inappropriate reactions of employees that are perceived as critical to operations. It’s more common than you may think that managers are concerned about being accused of discrimination or worse, so they avoid the issues of people who are dragging the team down.

2) Under-performers who are still on the team, especially if they have been under-performing for some time, are a reflection of the manager/leader who has allowed them to remain.

Is it reasonable to hope that the under-performer can improve? Yes - under-performers can improve! It’s important to realize, however, that the manager is responsible for initating the path to development.

How to Deal with Under-Performers

It’s tempting for managers to allow their own sense of overwhelm to convince them that they don’t have time to handle the under-performers on their team. On the topic of under-performers, however, our counsel is unflinching - deal with it. I don't mean tolerate it, I mean literally deal with it. Handle it, address it. Your HR department can help you design an effective process, but in the event you need a roadmap here’s an effective approach to dealing with under-performers:

1) Identify - make sure you can articulate what job-related duties are not satisfactory and how they impact the goals of the team/company

2) Inform/Address - communicate with the employee and clarify requirements, expectations and consequences/outcomes

3) Coach/Manage - work the under-performer to create a written plan that identifies 3-5** goals that align to performance expectations and can be measured (quantitatively or qualitatively). Coach where necessary (create a safe environment for the individual to perform, get feedback, etc.) and manage where necessary (monitor work product, interpersonal dynamics), give feedback, restate expectations, keep your own commitments to be appropriately engaged in the development of the individual)

4) Hold Accountable - This one is going to hurt…Leaders who cannot hold people accountable in appropriate and consistent ways should not have direct reports. Not holding people accountable is a form of stealing (I told you it was going to hurt) and ultimately stalls the organization’s ability to perform.

Let’s Get Real About Waiting for an Under-Performer to Perform

In some cases managers are dealing with performance issues that have to improve immediately (issues that deal with complying with the law, company policy, fixed performance targets, etc.). In most cases, a correction action document is a point-in-time way to address the performance failure, it’s impact, what has to happen in the immediate term and consequences if improvement doesn’t take place. Your HR department will be a great resource for the process (and related forms) that is appropriate in your company.

In other cases, an employee is given a period of time to improve and demonstrate improvement over a period of time. A Performance Improvement Plan or Coaching Development Plan is usually an effective tool to help the manager address and monitor an employee who been given the benefit of time to improve.

What we see is an increase of frequency of managers becoming frustrated with the development process. We began to identify that this kind of frustration exists in large part because under-performers have been allowed to under perform for too long. There’s a lesson on that, but let’s go back to the issue at hand.

It’s important to remember that development happens off the field more than it happens on the field. It’s up the under-performer to invest the time, effort and energy necessary to incrementally improve their contribution in ways that are defined by the organization. Employees can be involved in defining their improvement, but expectations needs to be set by the organization so a repeat of frustration doesn’t happen.

If the manager/organization has done an effective job of defining and articulating expecations in the Performance Improvement Plan, for example, it’s the individual’s responsibility to do the work of improving. That improvement should begin immediately.

And, wait for it…it’s the manager’s job to be engaged in defining timeliness for improvement. Work with the individual to set check-in protocols, milestones, etc.

Case Study

A leader (we’ll call her Gail) recently shared her exhaustion with an under-performing Vice President (we’ll call her leader Robin) who has been consuming significant energy from her, and from the team.

Gail sighed in exasperation, “I can’t keep doing this. Robin has such a good heart, but he should know how to do the things that he is constantly struggling with. Something has to change.”

Gail’s frustration is reasonable. It’s important to remember that development is a process. That said, it’s critical to make sure that managers understand when a corrective action (immediate term) is more appropriate than a performance type plan (longer term). If you give an under-performer the benefit of time via a performance plan, you have to give them the time to change (barring a serious compliance/policy type failure).

Here’s how we helped Gail get a handle on her leader:

• We helped Gail, working with her HR team, to draft a Performance Improvement Plan and a Coaching Development Plan as a way to define the process of improvement for her leader. The document acts as a roadmap to clarify issues, expectations and outcomes. If done well, the document removes ambiguity, gets buy-in from all stakeholders and gets everyone on the same page.

• We coached Gail on the art of Managerial Coaching. Gail identified her roadblocks to holding people accountable and she worked with her coach to design her own development plan to ensure she could hold herself accountable. Gail’s coach also helped reframe her understanding that while she can support and monitor her under-performing leader but ultimately the individual should not be permitted (i.e. encouraged) to make excuses, blame others and otherwise continue being an under-performer.

If holding people accountable is something that paralyzes you or your leaders, you have a culture of failure waiting to raise its head. The good news is that holding people accountable can be learned. If you or your leaders would like to become masterful at accountability, T.A.P. can help. Reach out today for a complimentary assessment at support@tapexecutivecoaching.com or call  (678) 626-7028.

** For performance improvement plans, it’s not unusual to have up to five (5) goals (for coaching development plans our general practice is to have no more than three (3) goals).

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