Do you really have a poor performer?

If you have an employee who is not performing, it is easy to get to fall into all or nothing thinking – “they are a poor performer”. But before you leap into a blanket judgment here’s a few questions to ask yourself.

1. Did they fail on only one project? Not every project is a stellar success. If the person had previously a history of good performance, but this particular project failed, then they may not be a bad performer – there may have been some internal dynamics or issues with the project that caused the problem. Check this out before judging.

2. Do they just disagree with you? Sometimes poor performers are just people with a different opinion to you. Are you judging them as a poor performer because they rub you up the wrong way or are you assessing from a truly factual position?

3. Have you been tainted by gossip? Mud sticks. Sometimes you may have heard gossip about the person, which may not be based in fact. This is a hard one to identify within yourself – but did you hear something negative about the person before you made your judgment about their capabilities?

4. Have you a superstar team? If you have a team of exceptional employees, a good employee may look like a poor performer in comparison. How real is the comparison?

5. Is there a pattern of poor performance or is it a recent thing? Look for patterns and trends. Check to see if there were any corporate triggers if the issue is a recent one.

Your poor performer may really just be problems about you or your organisation if you ask these questions first.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

Heart Harmony

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