We don’t spend and replace some of our valuable and expensive equipment, tools, windows, shoes, walls with new ones immediately after its first damage.
Similarly, if there are people with improvement needs in your team, try to enhance their skillsets and confidence by investing more in them than replacing them at their first mistake.
It’s partly their problem and partly ours, in terms of our mindset and attitude towards them. If we trust they can become better with more attention, care, learning opportunities, then it’s our duty to expose them to such improvement opportunities.
This shift in attitude not only improves the morale of the company but also saves a ton of money. This approach should not be confused with any pre-decided standard Performance Improvement Plans (PIP) for employees. Such (often) blanket plans demoralize the contributions of such employees done so far. It also questions the HR and interview rounds done for that employee when they joined. On the contrary, if a manager debates that interviews and HR cannot predict employee’s peak performance in the future – then such an employee’s dip in performance can also be equally not predicted – thus, it gives all the more reason to help them get better in an amicable way.
More often than not, such dips in performance occur either because the work isn’t exciting or challenging, or their personal life could have altered resulting in a reduction in their workplace contributions. This has to be sorted out by their reporting manager with personal connection and one on one meetings.
Cheers, and good luck!
Arun
Happy thinking! Don't forget to connect with me on Twitter.
- Your Body is a Team - June 3, 2021
- Imagine You Have The M.A.P - June 3, 2021
- Perception Matters - December 25, 2020
Leave a Reply