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The challenging business environment of the past few years means many teams are experiencing underperformance due to various factors, such as distractions, turnover, changing priorities, and burnout. However, leaders must recognize that the burden of addressing underperformance falls on them, and it’s time to step up and create a high-performing environment once again. In this post, I share a standard 9-step framework for reversing underperformance with feedback guidance for leaders, focusing on details for 4 of the steps which leaders often struggle.
1. Recognize the problem.
2. Clarify the situation’s impact.
3. Embrace the need for change.
4. Go directly and promptly to the problem.
5. Communicate the concern. (I recommend the SBI framework)
6. Listen (Check out my previous blog post on listening for listening tips)
7. Initiate accountability.
8. Enlist additional support as needed.
9. Reflect.
Recognize the problem.
You may feel too busy, too distracted, or too exhausted for Step 1, but your job as a leader is to take a broad view of the business and your role in it. Explore how you are enabling the long-term vision for the team. Contemplating what you know about the business – historical, current, and the future - allows you to acknowledge gaps in your knowledge that could help with recognizing a problem. You need to get clear on how your team contributes to the overall success of the business so that you can readily recognize where your team is impacting the broader organization’s effectiveness. Recognizing the problem also entails taking an honest assessment of the interpersonal dynamics on your team, understanding how you contribute to these dynamics, and becoming aware of your team’s reputation across the organization and with clients and outside partners.
Clarify the situation’s impact.
With a clear and broad view from Step 1, it’s time to clarify the ways this problem is impacting what’s best for the organization, exploring the potential outcomes of taking action. For Step 2, consider the impact from a variety of viewpoints, such as profitability, brand reputation, delivery schedules, and team dynamics. It may be tempting to push feedback out to a slower time or a ‘better day’ but consider that this problem likely impacts your individual leadership credibility as others observe how you choose to move forward. Working through these various perspectives clarifies the need for change. Knowing the situation’s full impact illuminates a vision of a future state that can motivate you while also equipping you with talking points to start preparing for an impactful feedback conversation.
Initiate accountability.
Accountability is an integral part of leadership yet Step 7 is often skipped until a situation has escalated to a major problem. To help an underperforming employee succeed, you need to highlight the gap between the problematic behavior and your expectations and confirm the employee’s understanding. Simply ask the employee to restate the opportunity for improvement to confirm you are on the same page. Accountability requires setting a plan with measurable steps to meet expectations, including aspects that require your involvement, demonstrating that you are committed to resolution. You’ll want to create a review schedule at the same time to clear any obstacles along the path to performance and celebrate achievements with the turnaround. Obviously, these review meetings also create a forum for conversation when needed progress is not being made or sustained.
Reflect.
You may be tempted to exhale and move on after a difficult feedback conversation but reflecting on the situation (Step 9) is a great learning opportunity. Don’t be tempted to use this reflection time to lament making a wrong hire or cling to regret for how you handled (or delayed handling) it. Shutdown your pride-filled thoughts and, instead, reflect on the outcomes for acting. Explore the changes you will make as a leader both to support this specific instance and in the broader context of your leadership journey. Keeping a journal or tracker of the situation and then capturing your thoughts and feelings from the experience will encourage you to consider how to improve for the next time and lead to personal and professional growth.
Conclusion
By following a feedback framework like these 9 steps and embracing today’s people-centric work culture, leaders can connect with their teams to reverse underperformance. Facing challenges head-on and embracing feedback opportunities will pave the way for stronger leadership and growth on both individual and team levels. Change takes time, effort, and commitment, but with dedication to the mission and a collaborative approach, you can lead yourself and your team to new heights of success and satisfaction.
I coach growth-minded professionals to lead well, get recognized, and thrive. As a coach, I offer perspective, accountability, feedback, encouragement, and additional possibilities. I'd love to chat with you about how I can accelerate your journey to leadership at the next level.
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