The biggest mistake you can make with poor performance is, of course, ignoring the problem. If you allow it to continue over a long period of time—some managers admit to years—addressing the problem at some late date becomes fraught with legal ramifications.
It also makes other actions difficult. For instance, let’s assume you have a problem performer who applies for a promotion. He’s not doing his current job well as is, and you have no intention of letting him be promoted. So you turn him down and choose another employee—perhaps someone newer in the company— for the position.
Guess what? The poor performer sues for discrimination, claiming either a gender, age, or racial bias. Because you never addressed the issue of performance, raising it at this point is unlikely to justify your action. What would you say in court? Sometimes, employees reach the warning stage yet claim they had no knowledge about a problem. In some instances, they are just making an excuse. In others, unfortunately, the manager never made clear the nature of the problem and the consequences if they did not improve.
That’s why you must be very specific about the existence of the problem, its nature, and—most important—the consequences if the employee does nothing to remedy the situation. Further, you need to document this session and share a copy with the problem performer, including the agreed-on action plan to address the problem. Documenting incidents that justify counseling will make it easier to prove that a problem does, indeed, exist.
Your management of performance appraisals will certainly support the need for counseling, as will the standards against which you measure job performance. Appraisals and standards are discussed in the next chapter.
For now, let me share some communication mistakes to avoid during the counseling session. For instance, you shouldn’t dominate the meeting. Practice the 20/80 rule—speak only 20 percent of the time and listen 80 percent of the time.
Focus, too, on the problem. Don’t bring emotions into the discussion by dwelling on how the problem performance is making you feel. Stick to the facts. You may understand how the problem could have developed, you may even empathize with the employee if it stems from personal problems, but you have to remain objective. If your staff member senses that you are sympathetic, they may be less motivated to change their behavior.
Don’t dictate a solution to the employee. As mentioned, the employee must truly be involved in creating the plan for it to work.
Finally, spend sufficient time on identifying the nature of the problem. Don’t think you can save time by jumping quickly into the problem-solving phase. Indeed, any employee being counseled needs to feel that the manager is willing to give the needed time to the problem.