Dealing with poor performance

The two golden rules with regard to poor performance are, one, to deal with it as soon as possible, and, two, draw up a policy.

Draw up a policy. It’s a good idea to have a policy on performance management so people know what happens if they don’t meet the required standard. Face up to it.

Managers may not like confrontation, but failing to address poor performance undermines the engagement of other team members. Be clear. People can only perform if you give them clear expectations, and they understand what good looks like, and feels like. Get one on one. When you’ve identified underperformance, the first step is to meet the individual involved and find out why.