Chris Collins walks through how to handle an underperforming employee: give candid notice, coach closely with daily check-ins and specific goals, and document everything. The likely outcomes are the employee improves, quits, or gets fired.
Kyle, book number 2776. When do you move on? When you've given somebody the guidance and the tools and a chance and they're not using it.
So this is leadership therapy. I'm Chris Collins. I am not a therapist, but I did write the book I am leader and I have a lot of experience fixing businesses and in the subject of leadership and creating followership in others. These questions come from our community. In our app, when you buy the I am leader book and you activate it, you get access to training courses on leadership and a community of wonderful people. And in there we have discussions and I answer questions sometimes like we are right now from Kyle. Also, Kyle put his book number. So the books are limited and they're numbered and his book number is 2776. So if you're in the app, say hi to Kyle. So, Kyle, my, my process for this.
Is to get in really close if there's somebody that isn't making it. I mean, there's, there's a couple things that I'm thinking up front that are important to me and maybe what's important to you is a little bit different. But the first one is I don't want anybody to be. To be terminated or let go that doesn't see it coming or doesn't know it's going to happen.
And then the second thing is I want to give them every opportunity to succeed that I can. And I want to know that I exhausted what I am capable of up to a certain point. So what I do with the person is I sit them down one on one and I have a very honest conversation about how things are going. And in that conversation I will say, if this doesn't change, we're not going to be able to work together anymore. And I will ask them what they think about that. I will ask them do they understand why we're having this conversation and what behaviors need to change specifically. And then if that doesn't work, the second thing I will do is I will start meeting with them every day. And so like I'll make them come in a little bit earlier than they normally would. And let's say like we meet at 8 every day and we talk about what they're doing, what their behaviors are and what needs to change and we have a very specific goal for that day. Like, I get in very, very close to them and I'm, I'm very honest, very encouraging. But if I got to come in early every day and meet with you and you're taking, you know, I, I don't want to spend a lot of time with underperformers. Like, I want to spend time with the performers and the people that are doing stuff that is making a difference. And so if. If I got to come in and make an appointment with somebody who's a low performer, who has, you know, bad energy and just isn't the one that's not going to go on very long, they're either. They're either gonna, you know, quit or change, or I'm gonna let them go. Those are the three options. And so I get in really, really close. So for me, you know, at that point, that I know that I've done everything way beyond.
What I need to do for that person, and I talk about this with my best friend all the time, is like, I'm an empath. And I go way too far with people believing, you know, believing what they say, even though their actions are completely different than what they say. And they continually do the same thing over and over again. And they, you know, at the end of the day, I see their full potential and I want them to succeed and I want to collaborate with them, but they don't see it in themselves. They don't think they're worthy of success and they have their own stuff. And, you know, I can't. I can't change that. At the end of the day, like, they have to make a decision for themselves to want to be better, to want to be a part of something special and to want to work hard and commit to it and give a piece of themselves, like, let, you know, let's be completely honest. To do anything meaningful in this world, you give a piece of your soul. And not everybody wants to do that. A lot of people just want to come in and pretend like it's the post office, and they just want to move something from here to there. And they're not willing to grow. They're not willing to. To learn and become the best version of themselves through trial and error and pushing, pushing themselves into uncomfortable situation. So also, I would say too, I'm not an HR attorney, so every state is different in the way that you do. The, the legal part of this is separate than what I'm saying, that my overall strategy is inside of, you know, documenting things, talking to an HR lawyer, all of that. But I want them to see it coming. And I'm. I give a little bit more than I should in the end. Two people. But then at the end of the day, I know that I tried and it was up to them. And yeah, it's you know, it's sad. Like, I. I have many examples of this where I think the people are super talented and, you know, I want them to succeed, I want them to do better, and they just don't see it for themselves. And.
It'S not much we can do in that situation. And, you know, that's why I spend so much work trying to get better at hiring, because that's really the key, is just hire better.
