A four-step framework for leaders to address underperformance: confirm the standard, name the gap, ask why, then have the employee propose concrete steps and define what success looks like. Clarity and measurable outcomes put accountability on the employee.
You have the conversation, and it's not a difficult conversation. It's a recovery conversation. But the way in which we approach it, I can't tell you how important it is. So I'm gonna state it one more time. Number 1, reconfirm they know the standard. Because sometimes we make assumptions as leaders, and they didn't even know what the hell was expected of them in the first place. So we've gotta reconfirm that. Number 2, once we've reconfirmed that they understand it, we need to make sure that they understand that they've actually drifted from that. They didn't actually achieve it. Just to make sure there's no ambiguity. And then ask the question, why? Don't comment on the reasons why, but it fills you in on how that person thinks, how they actually prioritize. Third step, what are they going to do to make sure that it's actually done? And then fourth step, what's the proof? What's the evidence that they will provide? That puts the onus on them.
