Kit Barber says leaders usually blame underperforming employees for being lazy or disengaged without looking at other factors. He made this mistake himself and shares a story that changed how he thinks about diagnosing performance problems.
Here's the biggest mistake leaders make when they're dealing with someone who's underperforming. They assume the problem is the person. They start thinking they're lazy, they're not engaged, they've lost motivation, maybe they're just not right for the job. And the irony, a few years ago I made exactly the same mistake, and it wasn't because I didn't know any better, it's because it was the most obvious conclusion, and I was completely wrong. So today I'm going to show you the exact situation that changed the way I look at leadership forever.
