Helping managers handle poor performance - top tips from 3C Performance Management

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Helping Managers Deal with Poor Performance

Some key considerations for managers…

Hedda Bird, 3C Founder Director


Which of these are really examples of poor performance?

…and which are just part of life’s ups and downs?


It is not

FAILURE – where good effort has been made

ONE-OFF mistake

SHORT TERM impact of PERSONAL PROBLEMS

It might be

• Consistently not fulfilling role

• Not delivering results• Not following instructions• Shoddy, poorly thought out

work• Very slow working• Bullying or other bad

behaviour


Recognise factors that affect performance

Key factors known for a long time…

Performance is impacted by:

1. motivation & engagement - ownership

2. quality of goal setting

3. management capability and culture

4. capability & knowledge – right role

5. underlying behaviours (‘personality’)

LOW PERFORMANCE may be triggered by weakness in any one of these areas


Identify what the potential causes might be?

Possible employee weaknesses

• Lack of skill• Poor time management• Not clear about priorities• Personal problems affecting work• Dis-affection with organisation• Attitudes ‘don’t see why I should’• ‘Not my job’• Don’t believe it makes any

difference anyway• Know they can get away with it• Lazy • Copying others…

Manager failings

• Not holding people to account• Not setting priorities• Ignoring poor performance• Not knowing ‘what good looks like’• Personal friend of the individual• Too anxious • Scared of the individual• Worried that intervention will make

things worse


What will happen if poor performance is not managed?

Poor goal setting means people rarelydeliver the maximum they arecapable of

Allowing poor performance to gounchecked DEMOTIVATES everyoneelse, especially the highestperformers

‘Last straw’ removal of poorperformers can be very expensive

Tolerating poor performance createsa culture of ‘minimal performance isOK’

Failure to give clear career paths and

indications of opportunity frequently

drives best performers to competitors

Failure to give feedback gives some

people the impression they are better

than they really are, creating

mis-match of expectations

Weak systems that fail to support

effective performance reviews and

their follow-up, risk losing making a

bad situation worse


Have you thought about how HR can help?

Try to establish if the manager has a real skill gap first…

• Not giving difficult feedback

• Not setting clear expectations

• Not holding to account

Make a clear list of what is wrong – where is performance failing?

Coach the manager to identify what small steps would make a difference


Consider your approach…

S1: Person is capable, needs to be held accountable. Often good for behavioural problems.

S2: If Person needs huge amount of help may be out of depth, in wrong role

S3: Plenty of constructive feedback + training

S4: Clear feedback and guidance – tends to be about bringing someone back on track

Think about which approach is needed…


Think about adapting your approach…

Less education, little autonomy

More detail

More instruction

Frequent check-in

Repeated checking for understanding

Focus on Outcome

Determine solutions for self

Required to think

Challenge assumptions

Often longer timescales

Highly educated, autonomous


How training can help (or hinder)…

A lot of ‘how to handle poor performance’ training fails to work because it:

a) focuses on PROCESS

b) increases ANXIETY about employee grievance

c) ignores Manager’s FEELINGS

d) ignores Manager’s potential as ‘part of the problem’

Effective Training

1) creates WILL to deal with poor performance

2) Drives RECOGNITION of how they may have contributed to the problem

3) Gives structure, confidence and PRACTICE at difficult conversations

4) Outlines a coherent process including appropriate legislative advice


Where would high performers rather work?

High Performing

Accountable

Goal driven

Strategy fully understood at front line

Performance conversations ‘the norm’

Consequences for high & low performance

Behaviours & values embedded in daily activity

Open communications

Honest conversations

Effective Talent Management

Under Performing

Lack of accountability

Poorly defined goals

Goals quickly out of date or irrelevant

Lack of feedback

Performance conversations rare

Bullying behaviours / Consensus cultures

Performance ratings not reflecting business performance

Limited definition of talent, weak promotion criteria


To discuss any of these key considerations in more detail, contact 3C on 01491 411 544 or by email – [email protected]

We believe that putting managers at the heart of Performance Management is key to making Performance Management work and driving business forward.

Managers set the measures, make the assessments, deliver the messages and give feedback, coaching and support. Put simply, businesses cannot run without effective managers, and Performance Management cannot work without managers at the centre of the organisation. Our energising and refreshing approach combines our expertise in the areas of:

• specialist consultancy and guidance (e.g. communications, competency frameworks, Goal Bank™ and measurement)

• practical, business-focused performance management training (design and delivery) • company-wide programmes to drive ownership and responsibility for performance to all

employees

mailto:[email protected]

Business

Helping managers handle poor performance - top tips from 3C Performance Management