Eight Tips in Dealing with Performance Problems
Eight Tips in Dealing with Performance Problems
1. Deal with It Quickly: Never procrastinate with a performance problem. If you don't address the issue when it arises, staff will question whether you are doing anything at all.
2. Attack the Problem, Not the Person: Make it clear that your comments pertain to behavior or performance, and not the person. Restrict your comments to particular instances of inappropriate performance and avoid inferring cause (lazy, uncaring, and incompetent).
3. Don’t Take the Monkey off Their Back: When talking to an employee about a problem, phrase your comments in terms of how it is their problem to deal with. Use the inappropriate performance as a jumping off point, indicate why it is problematic, and then quickly move on to preventing reoccurrence. This moves the focus from blame to improvement.
4. It’s Their Problem to Solve: Whenever possible, elicit the employee’s suggestions about how they are going to solve and prevent the problem from recurring. Put the responsibility for suggesting solutions with the employee. When possible, help the employee implement their solution.
5. Use Logic, Not Fear: Remember that to improve problem performance it is often necessary to “drive out fear.” Some think that putting the fear of God into employees will spur them on to better performance. Fear is more likely to reduce performance, loyalty and effort. Explain why it is in their best interest that they solve their problem.
6. Don’t get caught in a “He Said/She Said” Situation: If an individual is complaining about the actions of others, encourage them to try and work it out between themselves. If that does not work, quickly bring the two parties face-to-face and have them work things out in your presence. There will be those rare occasions where you will have to step in to resolve the problem situation, but they should be few.
7. Provide a Short Time-frame to Fix: Make it clear they need to deal with and resolve the problem in a short period of time. Everyone is too busy to have a negative situation last very long. Stress how much problem behavior affects the productive culture the organization needs to be successful.
8. Set High Expectations: Make sure the individual understands that you don’t expect to be dealing with the problem (or similar problems) ever again. It is their responsibility to deal with and fix it. Your time and the time of others is too important to be rehashing the same or similar situation at a later date.
Caution: Above all, remember that even the best of employees will find a discussion about inappropriate performance to be unpleasant. Some will take it personally, some will not. Be prepared for some defensiveness, and do not rise to the bait. Stay in control of yourself, and the situation.
Praise in public – Persuade in private: As much as possible recognize effective performance, and praise those who perform well in public. You will always be more effective in dealing with problem performance in private.
You MAY reprint the information contained in this article as long as no portion of the contents are modified and it used “exclusively” within your organization. You must also give credit to information by including the tag line...Roger M. Ingbretsen, Author, Speaker, Leadership Coach, Organizational and Career Developer.
Eight Tips in Dealing with Performance Problems - To learn more about this author, visit Roger Ingbretsen's Website.
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The process for dealing with performance problems requires quick action upon the part of the manager. Co-workers want you to do something with an individual who just can't get their act together. The longer you the manager waits to deal with a problem employee the less respect your people have for you as their manager
1. Deal with It Quickly: Never procrastinate with a performance problem. If you don't address the issue when it arises, staff will question whether you are doing anything at all.
2. Attack the Problem, Not the Person: Make it clear that your comments pertain to behavior or performance, and not the person. Restrict your comments to particular instances of inappropriate performance and avoid inferring cause (lazy, uncaring, and incompetent).
3. Don’t Take the Monkey off Their Back: When talking to an employee about a problem, phrase your comments in terms of how it is their problem to deal with. Use the inappropriate performance as a jumping off point, indicate why it is problematic, and then quickly move on to preventing reoccurrence. This moves the focus from blame to improvement.
4. It’s Their Problem to Solve: Whenever possible, elicit the employee’s suggestions about how they are going to solve and prevent the problem from recurring. Put the responsibility for suggesting solutions with the employee. When possible, help the employee implement their solution.
5. Use Logic, Not Fear: Remember that to improve problem performance it is often necessary to “drive out fear.” Some think that putting the fear of God into employees will spur them on to better performance. Fear is more likely to reduce performance, loyalty and effort. Explain why it is in their best interest that they solve their problem.
6. Don’t get caught in a “He Said/She Said” Situation: If an individual is complaining about the actions of others, encourage them to try and work it out between themselves. If that does not work, quickly bring the two parties face-to-face and have them work things out in your presence. There will be those rare occasions where you will have to step in to resolve the problem situation, but they should be few.
7. Provide a Short Time-frame to Fix: Make it clear they need to deal with and resolve the problem in a short period of time. Everyone is too busy to have a negative situation last very long. Stress how much problem behavior affects the productive culture the organization needs to be successful.
8. Set High Expectations: Make sure the individual understands that you don’t expect to be dealing with the problem (or similar problems) ever again. It is their responsibility to deal with and fix it. Your time and the time of others is too important to be rehashing the same or similar situation at a later date.
Caution: Above all, remember that even the best of employees will find a discussion about inappropriate performance to be unpleasant. Some will take it personally, some will not. Be prepared for some defensiveness, and do not rise to the bait. Stay in control of yourself, and the situation.
Praise in public – Persuade in private: As much as possible recognize effective performance, and praise those who perform well in public. You will always be more effective in dealing with problem performance in private.
You MAY reprint the information contained in this article as long as no portion of the contents are modified and it used “exclusively” within your organization. You must also give credit to information by including the tag line...Roger M. Ingbretsen, Author, Speaker, Leadership Coach, Organizational and Career Developer.
Eight Tips in Dealing with Performance Problems - To learn more about this author, visit Roger Ingbretsen's Website.
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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