Dealing with Low Performers

You are the leader, whether you are a good one or not, you are in a position of leadership. Your team needs you to communicate a vision. They need to see you lead the charge. They need to see you passionate about their work. They need to see that you are committed to them and their success.

Do not lower the bar for low performers. Set the expectations high. Targets and objectives should be in sight but out of reach. Many leaders feel that they need to lower the goals to increase morale. Bad mistake. The only morale you will be increasing is that of your non-performers. That is not the element of your organization you should be catering to as a leader. The bar should be high, and the standard should be nothing short of total excellence. What you tolerate, you condone. If you tolerate mediocrity, then your lack of leadership in addressing that behavior will breed more of it.

You hired athletes, top performer, and A-players so respect them enough to confront non-performance and dismiss the low performers. You will elevate your own results and those around you by setting the bar high and growing into the person and team to hit the objective. The aim of business is not just to make people feel better about themselves although a job well done will always boost self esteem. The aim of business is not to serve as a country club where you fulfill all of your social whims. The chief aim of business is to maximize profitability and revenue while adding value to everyone and everything it touches. A successful business will create friends, but that is not the goal. A good business will extend its reach beyond the walls of headquarters and into the communities in which they serve. But these offshoots of a successful enterprise will be temporary if the standard is set anywhere but total and complete excellence. You should hold yourself to a higher standard than you do your employees. The standard is excellence.

Tags: Leadership

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Comment by Rollan A. Roberts II on March 4, 2010 at 5:43am: I appreciate your feedback - no offense taken! You are correct that Europe and Asia have a different set of procedures for addressing low performers. These actions are promoted by the government regulations that govern employment law. This European philosophy has infiltrated many American companies which is why layoffs are necessary every few years whether the economy is good or bad. Many corporations took advantage of the bad economy (even though their company economy was terrific) to lay off low performers giving them the competitive opportunity of hiring higher quality workers with higher skill sets who can produce better, faster, and cheaper. That is capitalism and free enterprise. Those who produce do not fear layoffs. Those who do not push themselves to excellence are the nail biters when the pink slips are being passed out. The point is a high standard of excellence is what humanity should be about regardless of what part of the world they live in. Strong leaders should exemplify this behavior out of respect for themselves and their employees that are getting the job done. It is undisputed that companies with the above philosophy when dealing with low performers have much higher levels of productivity and are more competitive and sustainable in the long run. When companies allow a "sit and soak" under-performer to remain (and trust me, there are plenty of those in America as well!), they must hire additional help or increase overtime somewhere else to cover - both of which increases costs. That is why so many companies with unions struggle financially and end up having layoffs every time the economy takes a dip.

I would also contest that this is a "hire and fire" attitude. You always give low performers the opportunity to improve within a set period of time. If they are unable or unwilling to perform, the net result to the company is still the same - non/low performance. It is not the duty or responsibility of corporations to provide a living for a country's citizens. It's primary responsible is to make a profit. Making a profit is the only way to ensure it can hire more citizens and become a lasting fixture in the community. I do not advocate firing someone without giving them the chance to improve. I think this is where many managers fall down - they do not communicate and set clear expectations and consequences with low performers. They take the easy way out and just fire them. It is hard work to work with low performers getting them productive again. Thanks again for your thoughts!

Comment by guru on March 4, 2010 at 5:21am: Hi,

No offence, but you sounds like very American, We in europe and asia, do things little differently. i.e We don't go for hire and fire attitude. instated, we value human beings and treat them with respect. Only way you want to lower your expectations is when some one don't give a dog's ear about their job. If one is interested in doing their job, I assure you, they want to do well better then you than think of. You can work with anyone and make them work as efficiently as you want as long as they are interested in their job. As you pointed out, if you recruit some one in a golf club, ofcouser you can expect that person is a non performer. What can you expect from them?

Comment by Ren on February 26, 2010 at 8:13am: Amazing - I learn something everytime I read your blogs. You have a gift!