What if you have to have “that” conversation?
It is around performance. The hard part is that it is about numbers. Completely objective. Not what they did or did not do with the customer. Did they hit their number, their target? And if this is three months in a row, this is a conversation that needs to happen. Right? OK, relax. There are two things to embrace. One, were all things clarified? Two, if it was poor performance, what do they need to hear?
So it is the expectation and then, possibly, the conversation.
I know of many companies that do not really train when someone starts working for them. Either it is the cost and time associated with training or urgency to have someone on the floor or even the best they can muster is front of a computer screen. Whatever the hardship, everyone suffers when time, energy and effort is not invested to make the employee successful…from the very beginning. If we fear the hard conversations about performance, have we clarified…is it will or skill? Will is easy. The employee just does not want to play. Their motivation to do the job is just not there. If it is skill, we may have to accept responsibility for not giving them the muscle to do the job. The fact they are not doing the job may very well be something you did not do or give them. Does that sting? The first steps for the employee are the most important. The issues you may face on the back end can many times be solved by investing on the front end. Consider these questions if you face a performance issue:
- Did I clearly define this?
- Did I train this person?
- Did I check understanding?
- Did I coach to develop the ability/person?
- Did I follow up to check performance?
- Did I create an ongoing and appropriate development plan?
- Did I remove all obstacles to ensure success?
What are the answers? If any of the answers are no. you may have to start over before having any kind of corrective or disciplinary conversation. I like to call this phase or step the perception check. You are checking what did or did not happen that may have impact on the situation you are now facing. It keeps it real. It keeps you real.
Now if the answers are yes. Conversation time. This is the part you may be agonizing over. It is hard…if you do not have the facts. I remember a manager telling me I as not performing to expectation. OK, I have moments like that in life. The issue is she did not give me anything objective for me to fix. I just wasn’t “doing well and if I didn’t improve, I would lose my job.” Please tell me specifically what I wasn’t doing. Yes, these conversation may create tension and angst. As long as they also include objective specifics, they are at least very real. Tell what I haven’t done, specifically. Tell what needs to change specifically and to what extent and in what time frame. Anyone can take “bad news” as long as there is reality linked to the chat. And if there is support offered, all the better.
“Todd, I want to be real with you right now. For the last three months, you have not hit your targets, specifically “X, Y and Z”. You needed to be at “this” and you hit “that”. I need for you to know that this is serious and if improvement does not occur in the next two weeks, our conversation will change to termination. Here is how I am going to help you get there (add details here). Do I have your commitment?”
These conversations are difficult for the managers who cannot link behavior to the situation. If they cannot share exact data with numbers, dates and observations. If they cannot target what needs to happen and what will happen if change does not occur. Yeah, I would not want to be part of that conversation either. Stick to the basics in the conversation:
- Specify the issue
- Clarify the history (numbers, observations, coaching logs, etc.)
- Get their opinion on their performance including any ways for improvement
- Set the expectations for the new action plan (targets, dates, follow up and support)
- Get their commitment
Now all of that sounds great. But the one thing you don’t know is how they will react. This really is the hardest part to deal with. Maybe you will have a “crier” or a “fighter”. The information you have to share is objective, but the receiver decides where the conversation goes. I will cover this in another post. The main things in this post is (1) setting expectations and (2) planning for the objective conversation. Those are the things you absolutely can control in a poor performance conversation.
No one wakes up wanting to fail. When dealing with poor performance, you have to isolate the root cause and then get them on a new path. Sometimes it works and sometimes, well, it doesn’t. It’s not personal. Focus on the issue, not the person. They decide if they want to play. If they do, you win. If they don’t, believe it or not, you still win. You tried to improve them and they chose not to want to improve. Empathy is not sympathy. Google them.
Cheers