412: How to Address Underperformance and More Questions, with Bonni Stachowiak
Jun 3, 2019
Explore the intricacies of addressing underperformance in team members with practical strategies for clear communication and accountability. Discover how to use visual tools to enhance team performance and foster a playful workplace culture. Delve into the significance of asking 'why' versus 'what' to guide leadership decisions and align organizational goals. A wealth of resources is also shared to help unlock and enhance leadership skills, alongside insightful discussions on resilience during change.
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insights INSIGHT
Don't Assume Prior Management
Don't assume prior leaders effectively managed performance or expectations.
Inherited underperformers might have unresolved issues requiring direct intervention.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Clarify Inherited Team Expectations
Clarify expectations with underperforming employees inherited from previous leaders.
Use tools like Scaling Up's accountability charts or Mager and Pipe's flowchart to document expectations and track performance.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Honest Feedback
Align feedback ratios with actual performance, focusing on areas needing improvement.
Avoid excessive praise for underperformers; address issues directly and promptly.
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How a Few Companies Make It… and Why the Rest Don’t
Verne Harnish
This book, written by Verne Harnish, provides a comprehensive framework for scaling businesses. It focuses on the four major decision areas every company must get right: People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash. The book includes the updated One-Page Strategic Plan and the Rockefeller Habits Checklist, which have been used by over 40,000 firms to scale successfully. Harnish draws on decades of experience advising CEOs and executives, emphasizing the importance of routines, effective meetings, and clear communication to drive business growth and maintain organizational health[1][3][4].
Analyzing performance problems
Peter Pipe
Robert F Mager
Analyzing Performance Problems provides a step-by-step approach to solving performance issues by identifying their root causes and implementing the most effective and economical solutions. The book emphasizes the importance of analyzing problems systematically to avoid addressing mere symptoms rather than the underlying issues.
Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed
Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. She joins me monthly to respond to listener questions.
Listener Questions
Elizabeth asked about a tricky issue with an underperforming team member she inherited.
Gordon wondered what he could do to support resilience during a time of massive change.
Leona asked how she might think about the disconnect from what her organization espouses and what she sees in practice.
Anthony was curious about when it’s appropriate to ask “why” and when it’s not.
Resources Mentioned
Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It … and Why the Rest Don’t* by Verne Harnish
Scaling Up Growth Tools
Analyzing Performance Problems* by Robert F. Mager and Peter Pipe
Related Episodes
How to Succeed with Leadership and Management, with John Kotter (episode 249)
How to Build Psychological Safety, with Amy Edmondson (episode 404)
How to Clarify What’s Important, with Ron Williams (episode 410)
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