January 15, 2025 • 22 mins
Is your team missing deadlines or struggling to collaborate? Learn how to address declining employee performance with empathy and professionalism in this episode of Light Up Your Business. I, Tammy Hershberger, guide you through identifying the signs and investigating the root causes behind performance issues. Discover practical strategies such as providing additional training, clarifying job expectations, and adjusting workloads to boost team morale and productivity.
Effective feedback is crucial for performance improvement, and this episode covers how to balance positive and negative feedback using the SBI (Situation, Behavior, Impact) method. Get insights on setting actionable goals and the importance of face-to-face interactions for more empathetic conversations. Plus, I share essential business success tips focused on passion, strategic planning, and the virtues of love and faithfulness for a lasting impact on your entrepreneurial journey. Tune in to transform how you manage your team and drive your business forward.
Say goodbye to overwhelm and self-doubt, and hello to confidence and success. Join the Faith Filled Coaching family today and step into the abundant future you've always envisioned.
Visit FaithFilledCoach.com to schedule your free 30-minute consultation. Let's make your business dreams a reality, together.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tammy (00:01):
Welcome to the Light Up your Business podcast, the show
where we dive deep into theworld of small businesses.
I'm your host, tTammyHershberger, and each episode
will bring you inspiring stories, expert insights and practical
tips to help your small businessthrive.
Whether you're an entrepreneurjust starting out or a seasoned
business owner, this podcast isyour go-to source for success in
(00:21):
the small business world.
Let's get started.
Two-sorts for success in thesmall business world.
Let's get started.
Hi everyone, my name is TammyHershberger and I am back with
another episode of Light Up yourBusiness podcast.
I hope you're all having alovely day.
Today I want to talk to youabout how we tackle the
sensitive issue of decliningwork performance among our
(00:44):
employees and explore effectivestrategies for addressing it
with empathy and professionalism.
We're going to identify theroot cause, as well as how to
provide constructive feedbackand support.
We'll navigate the complexitiesof managing performance issues
in the workplace and then drawfrom real-life scenarios to
offer you practical tips.
And then draw from real-lifescenarios to offer you practical
(01:05):
tips.
This episode offers actionableguidance for managers and
leaders who seek to supportstruggling employees and improve
overall team performance.
So let's dig right into it.
So let's recognize the signs ofdecline.
I mean, I'm sure if you pictureyour employees and if you have
one, that's a bad apple, I'msure lots of things are coming
to your mind right now.
So you want to identify when anemployee's work performance is
(01:26):
on the decline.
So a few signs, I meanobviously I think it's kind of
always obvious, but some signsare their goals and deadlines
are constantly being missed.
You know they're not gettingstuff done on time.
Jobs are not getting done ontime.
They're not hitting any of thegoals that you're setting for
them.
They have misalignedorganizational and employee
values, so like they're arguingwith their employees, they don't
agree with the vision for thecompany.
(01:47):
You know they don't do thingsthe way you ask them to do it.
All these different things.
They have an unwillingness tocollaborate with others.
They're not willing to be ateam player.
They're for themselves and youcan tell it Relying on
colleagues to complete work.
Again, they're not doing theirwork.
(02:09):
They're pushing it onto otherpeople, which then burns out and
annoys your other employees.
And then they have a disregardfor company rules.
I've seen that many times inone of my companies I worked or
owned.
The people wouldn't.
They'd lie about doing thetruck inspections or they would
say they cleaned something andthey never did, or they wouldn't
do the inventory or whatever.
They just had no integrity andthey would just do whatever the
heck they wanted.
So when we talk aboutinvestigating the root cause,
(02:31):
like what is causing thisproblem, when you address the
employee's declining workperformance, it's really
important to figure out the rootcause of it.
This way you are better able toaddress and resolve the issue.
Some underlying issuescontribute to performance
decline.
Could be things such as liketheir workload's way too much.
They're overworked.
Maybe the job's not a good fitfor them, they don't like what
(02:52):
they're doing, interpersonalconflict.
So they have things happeningin their personal life, or maybe
even things happening in thecompany that you don't realize
is going on, or they have somekind of personal challenge
they're experiencing.
So let's kind of dig into someof those common root causes of
their declining work performance.
So maybe they have a lack ofresources and sometimes that's
(03:14):
the easiest one to address andit's when your employee's
lacking time or money orpersonal items or supplies that
they need to complete the taskand then complete it well, right
.
So dig into it.
Did you give them too short ofa deadline?
Do they not have the budgetthey need to complete the task
and then complete it well, right, so dig into it.
Did you give them too short ofa deadline?
Do they not have the budgetthey need to complete this task?
Maybe they don't have thepersonnel, maybe they don't have
enough help.
There's always, sometimes, goodreason for what's happening, if
(03:36):
you dig into it.
And if it's not that, thenmaybe it's a lack of skills,
maybe the employees are promotedbefore they were ready, or
they're maybe not trained wellenough, and if that's the case,
all you need to do is give themextra training or mentor them a
little bit.
Lack of clarity If they're notclear on what they're supposed
to be doing, or what the jobexpectations are, or the project
you know task are, or thedeadlines, then the employee can
(03:59):
misunderstand what's beingasked of them and maybe not
perform well.
And maybe it's not that they'repurposely not performing well.
Maybe it's just they don't knowwhat's going on or they don't
know what they're supposed to bedoing.
Maybe it's a lack ofappreciation.
When an employee isn'tacknowledged for their good work
, they begin to slack off.
Even someone that is slackingoff, it's important, as a
(04:20):
manager, to still recognize themfor what they are doing
correctly and it can not alwaysit can, but not always help them
step up to do a better job.
I mean, maybe if you're likeyou know we're struggling a
little here but you're doingreally great there, instead of
just being, you know, debbieDowner, maybe that'll be enough
to kind of get them, you know,to realize like I should be
doing something a littledifferent.
Then maybe there's burnout andthat does happen.
(04:46):
When an employee is bored orthey're burned out.
It usually means the talentedworker skills they're being
underutilized or they have toomuch on their plate.
And this is a sign that, as aleader, you need to help
re-engage them.
You need to re-energize them bygiving them projects you know
will be a good fit for them.
And then maybe you need toreadjust their workload, maybe
you need to take some stuff offtheir plate so that way it feels
(05:08):
more manageable manageable forthem.
And sometimes that happens whenyou know you're understaffed
and everybody's taking on extrawork, or someone quits and you
all have to take more on, or thebudget you know is not looking
good, so you have to downsize alittle and people take on more
work.
The problem is and it's noteven usually paid.
Their pay usually stays thesame but, like they're, they're
now trying to make you happy anddo a good job for you.
(05:30):
So they're working more hourswith less, you know, less help
or less product or less money orwhatever, and the pressure's on
and then it just gets to be toomuch.
And then maybe it's personalissues.
There are times when ourpersonal lives impact our
professional lives and this isdifficult to address because you
have to take time toacknowledge it and then see how,
(05:50):
as a leader, you can bestsupport your employee to boost
their morale and performance atwork.
You know, when an employeefeels supported as a person,
they are more likely to show upand thrive within the workplace.
And then maybe there's healthconcerns.
When an employee is facingserious health conditions, it's
important to remain empatheticand supportive as an employer.
Or maybe their family membersare facing maybe their wife or
their children.
(06:10):
It can be a difficult situationto navigate because it's out of
the control of you and youremployee.
I think in those cases, opencommunication and talking to
each other to find creativesolutions to best support your
employee in the business areimportant.
It can be something liketurning the job into a hybrid
job where they're able to workfrom home for some days of the
week, or maybe the rest of theteam could pick up certain tasks
(06:33):
for a while to kind of helplighten their load, you know,
take the burden off of them.
So to find the root cause,there needs to be a conversation
with two, three, whoever'sinvolved At least you and the
employee, maybe you, the managerand the employee.
So let's take a moment to kindof look at that.
And then let's talk aboutconstructive feedback, because
(06:53):
people need to know what's goingon.
You don't want to just harp onthem, but you've got to give
them constructive feedback.
So it's important to master theart of giving and receiving
constructive feedback.
For some it may come naturallyand others it's not very easy.
Right?
I'm a communicator.
My other business partner wasnot, and sometimes I don't think
he gave feedback because Ithink he just didn't want to
(07:15):
address stuff.
He wanted to hide from it, andthen I would have to come in and
do the challenging part of likelet's have this hard
conversation now, you know, andif you address stuff early
enough, it gets to be.
It's sometimes easier becauseit hasn't gone on so long.
There's less resentment, lesshard feelings.
You know, because, even as anowner, if I watch you do a crap
job for long enough, I'm goingto have these hard feelings.
I'm going to get a littleresentful right, and that's why
(07:37):
you address stuff early.
So let's see where am I?
I just lost track where I was.
Okay.
So it says it can be challengingbecause walking the line of
criticism and constructivefeedback is quite thin when
providing constructive feedbackto an employee that has a
declining work performance.
You need to remember thesethings, okay.
So one is be fair andconsistent when managing your
(07:59):
team.
This will establish trustwithin your team.
You don't want to, you know, besuper cool with Jimmy and then
be super hard on John and then,when Jimmy's messing up, you're
still just hard on John and youdon't really have the same rules
for Jimmy.
Well, that's not going to workbecause John's going to see that
right.
So you have to be fair andconsistent.
Have balance in giving positiveand negative feedback.
(08:21):
Recognize them for when they'redoing good, let them know you
appreciate them and that you'renoticing when things are falling
through the cracks.
You mentioned that as well,because it tells people that
you're paying attention, you'reaware, and then the next most
important point is stay in theseat as the observer, so state
your observation objectively.
Let go of any conclusions youmay have about the person or the
(08:43):
situation and instead listen towhat they're saying.
Do your best to avoid labelingthem as good or bad.
We all have bad days.
We all have experiencedsituations that are different
for each person, right?
So be respectful and objectivewhen communicating.
Then you've got to be clear.
Clear communication is crucial.
Workplace conflicts that stemfrom miscommunication or
(09:07):
misunderstandings can be veryfrustrating.
It also is something, as aleader, that we use as a
learning opportunity and striveto communicate better with a
variety of people.
When someone feels clear andknows what's expected, they are
more likely to succeed, and itmight be helpful to establish,
you know, those smart goals forthem, so they have actionable
steps to help keep them focusedand they know if they're doing
(09:28):
better or they're not doingbetter.
I find it helpful tocollaborate with your employees
to develop your action plan ortheir goals.
This way, it's not just youforcing things onto them.
They have a say in it, right,and they'll be on the same page
as you.
So there's an SBI method whichis kind of interesting.
(09:49):
It's called situation, behaviorand impact.
It's a simple and direct modelyou can use when giving
constructive feedback.
So the S stands for situationDescribe the situation.
Be specific about when andwhere it occurred.
Behavior Describe theobservable behavior.
Don't assume you know what theother person's thinking.
And then the impact Desdescribe what you thought or
felt in reaction to the behavior.
(10:10):
So, as a leader, it's importantto have these conversations be
just that a conversation whereboth people get to communicate.
So, after you use the sbi methodand provide feedback, inquire
about the employee's intentregarding their behavior or
anything they would like to shedlight on.
This helps you to know and hearthe situation from their point
(10:31):
of view, because obviously youhave your view.
You have a view of whathappened, the manager has a view
of what happened, the employeeshave a view of what happened
and then the person who wasinvolved in it has their own
view, and if you don't take timeto consider what their view is,
you're missing out, becausethey maybe see it totally
different than you.
Maybe they see something youdon't see.
So, as a rule of thumb, whengiving constructive feedback, do
(10:53):
a face-to-face.
It sets the tone that youremployee matters and that you
genuinely want to hear theirside of the story.
It gives them a voice.
Who doesn't want a voice?
Even if your job is remote,having a video call where you
can see the person is the mosteffective way to communicate in
a difficult conversation.
And I can tell you myself I'vehad some very tough
conversations with businesspartners, employees, my husband,
(11:15):
and every time I have thosehard conversations over a phone
it goes awry because I can't seetheir face.
I say stuff that maybe theydon't see, my, that I'm, you
know, maybe joking or maybe I'mfrustrated or whatever.
And I can tell you in myexperience those really hard
(11:36):
conversations go much better forme.
When I'm in person I feel likethere's for me there's more
compassion and I can see ifthey're nervous, I can see if
they're worked up, I can see ifI said something that offended
them.
I can see if something ismoving them right, like I can
see it.
On a phone you can't see it,and then I can kind of course,
correct and be like wait asecond, what I said didn't come
(11:56):
out right or they didn't takethat correctly or they're
getting worked up and now I needto address that, and I just do
so much better on the phone orI'm sorry, I much better on in
person than on the phone and youknow, in past conflicts I've
had, I've told people that, likeI want to talk in person
because it goes better for me,like I just it doesn't go well
on the phone and sometimes theywon't work with me and we do it
(12:19):
on the phone and it doesn't gowell.
And so learn that aboutyourself and then address it.
And then you want to offersupport and resources.
So sometimes it can be thatpeople are underperforming
because they need more training.
If you're seeing the sameissues constantly coming up with
different employees, that's asignal to you that you
(12:40):
definitely need to invest inmore training, because they're
all struggling or maybe thetrainer is not doing a good job
teaching these people.
And then maybe you need to payfor employees to attend certain
conferences or webinars wherethey feel like they're better
equipped to handle their job.
It sometimes boosts morale.
So, like leadership classes,management classes, that kind of
thing.
Also, you can offer resourcesor referrals for more support,
(13:04):
such as counseling services orwellness programs.
You know bigger companies canoffer that.
And then you really want to likemonitor the progress right,
like, are these people making amovement towards better?
Are they getting better?
So you've now had these hardconversations with the employee.
Now you want to monitor theirwork performance.
That's why having like smartgoals can help you and your
(13:26):
employees see what they need tobe doing instead of just having
an idea about it right.
So you can be like you need tosell five jobs a week, you need
to bring in this much revenue,you need to whatever the goal is
right, and then you can sitdown and be like did you do this
, did you do that, did you dothat?
We do that in coaching with myclients.
Sometimes I'm like did you getany of your things done?
Because what is the reason youdidn't do them?
And this is the same thing youcan be asking these people that
(13:47):
are supposed to be progressingwhy are we not progressing?
Why are we going backwards?
Right, it's important to reviewand check in on their progress.
It allows you and youremployees to discuss issues that
may have arose within theimprovement period and then also
when an employee feels part ofsomething, they feel seen, they
feel valued and they stay moremotivated to improve and reach
(14:11):
their goals.
So, regardless of workperformance improvement, it's
helpful to establish regularcheck-ins when we provide people
with consistent feedback andcommunicate openly as a team.
It creates an environment wherethe entire team knows what they
can do to improve.
However, if there is an issuethat needs to be addressed
sooner than the next scheduledcheck-in, then go for it.
(14:32):
Get it done now.
It's important to be timelywhen addressing issues.
This will help when the mistakehappens, so it doesn't happen
again.
So I want to talk about thisreally fast.
Some people I know that Ipersonally work with, they think
I'm going to push it off, pushit off, we'll talk about later,
talk about later, talk aboutlater and hopefully it'll go
away.
Well, it doesn't.
And then you know, there's beentimes I've had to wait a week
(14:55):
for the next meeting and itdrives me crazy for a week and I
stew on it and stew on it, andstew on it, and then it almost
makes it worse becauseI'vethinked it and for me it's
better to just get it out.
Let's have a discussion now soI can get it out and move on,
because I forgive easy, I willmove on, but some stuff cannot
(15:16):
be always pushed off.
So if you're one of thosepeople push everything off.
You got to stop doing that.
Face it, be a man, stand up,get it done.
Then you want to document allthese performance conversations,
right?
Documenting them, including thegoals, the actionable plans,
follow-up actions.
That way it's on paper andevery time you meet you can pull
(15:37):
it back out and say this iswhat you said, this is what you
did, this is what didn't happen,this is what we need to try
next time, right?
So if it gets to a point whereyou have to lay them off, all
this is documented.
You can show them why thisisn't working right.
It's important to schedule andkeep those one-on-one meetings
with your employees on a regularbasis.
So document where the meetingstake place, what was discussed
within the meeting, any personalmatters that came up.
(15:57):
Make sure they're allconfidential you do not want to
be sharing these with otherpeople and then document the
process so that you, as a leader, you're observing their
improvements or lack thereof,and then, from there, you can
make informed decisions aboutwhat's the best thing to do for
(16:17):
your business.
And if something is notimproving, that's when you can
say okay, now I have to make thehard call I'm either going to
reprimand you or I'm going toterminate you.
And this I mean Dave Ramseyjust talked about in the
conference I went to this year,like this is something that we
have to be serious about,because people push the ball and
they don't want to deal with itand it's hurting your company,
(16:38):
it's hurting your employees,it's hurting you, it causes
stress you don't need so.
Depending on how your businessis structured, you may need to
use additional interventions ormaybe there's multiple
disciplinary actions before youget to termination, you know,
make sure you look at yourhandbooks, your policies, your
whole process so you're doing itcorrectly, and then you're
(17:04):
dealing with it on paper so youhave your documentation for your
HR.
You want to remember.
You want to cultivate a cultureof continuous improvement.
I believe that a thrivingworkplace environment fosters a
culture where feedback, growthand development are valued and
encouraged.
We want our employees to feellike they want to come to work,
because there will be a rippleeffect out from the overall
business to how your customersfeel when they come in, to how
they're treated by youremployees.
(17:25):
So for you as a leader, youwant to keep a growth mindset at
the forefront when dealing withdifficult situations.
It helps you orient into moreof an objective role so you can
coach them rather than dictatethem, and notice that they're
able to be coached, and thengive them feedback.
And remember, if you seeimprovement in an employee's
(17:46):
performance, tell them.
It's important to recognize andcelebrate those improvements,
which will hopefully encouragethem to keep up the good work
right.
Who doesn't want to know whenyou're doing better?
Remember this all fuels thatsense of appreciation and the
fact that your employees matter.
Recognition can go a long way.
(18:07):
You know I have stories galore.
I can tell you the most recentones I've had with business
partners.
I will say you know, I'd havethese conversations of like this
isn't working, this isn'tworking.
And then sometimes it wouldimprove and I would tell them
you are, I'm really impressed.
And then a few weeks later itwould crap out again and it's
not working.
(18:27):
It's not working and I had thisfor, excuse me, I had this for
a long time and eventually I gotto the point where it was like
it's not working for me.
I can't get this person tochange.
They were setting goals, we'redoing things to try to work with
.
I'm moving, they're trying tomove, and it's just not working.
And then it comes to a pointwhere you just say you know, we
(18:49):
tried our best, it's not working, and you either walk away from
the business, you sell thebusiness.
Whatever works for you to getyourself out and to make peace.
That's what you do.
If it's you know an employee,you let them go.
So I encourage you to approachperformance discussions with
empathy and professionalism andfocus on support and improvement
(19:10):
.
Remember to have the grace foryourself as you learn to
navigate these difficultsituations, as well as the grace
for your employees.
One key takeaway from theepisode today that I want you to
remember is to step into therole of an observer rather than
the interpreter, so you canstrive to let go of the stories
or emotions that you have builtup towards this person or the
(19:31):
situation, which then allow youto handle it more professionally
.
Guys, I want to thank all of youfor listening today.
I invite you to share yourexperience and insights on
addressing performance issues inthe workplace by visiting
wwwlightupyourbusinesspodcastcom.
I hope this podcast episodeoffered practical guidance and
strategies for you as a managerand leader, navigating declining
(19:52):
work performance amongemployees.
Please share this episode withanyone you might think would
benefit from it.
If you're interested in comingon my podcast, you can contact
us through the website I justgave you.
You know I would love to bringyou on talk about your business
struggles.
You're having blessings.
Whatever you have to talk about, I would love to bring that on.
Remember to like, share,subscribe all of that good stuff
(20:16):
.
You can find me on Facebook,iheartradio, apple Podcasts,
everywhere, so let other peopleknow about me.
Let me know who has interest.
You know that has interest incoming on this podcast, who has
interest in hearing it.
If you have ideas of things youwant me to talk about, send
those in.
I would love to hear them.
And then I hope that byexploring these key principles
and strategies and real-lifeexamples, you are empowered to
(20:37):
address performance issueswithin your company with empathy
and professionalism and focuson support and improvement to
really light up your business.
Hey, thank you all for listening.
I will see you guys next time.
And remember in the world ofbusiness, every success story
begins with a passionate dreamand ends with a strategic
(20:58):
billion dollar handshake.
Stay ambitious, stay innovativeand keep making those deals
that reshape tomorrow.
Thank you all for tuning in anduntil next time, remember.
Proverbs 3.3 says let love andfaithfulness never leave you.
Bind them around your neck,write them on the tablet of your
heart.
That way, you will win favorand a good name in the sight of
(21:20):
God and man.
And remember if you like whatyou heard today, click the
follow button so you never missan episode.
Welcome to the Light Up your Business podcast, the show
where we dive deep into theworld of small businesses.
I'm your host, tTammyHershberger, and each episode
will bring you inspiring stories, expert insights and practical
tips to help your small businessthrive.
Whether you're an entrepreneurjust starting out or a seasoned
business owner, this podcast isyour go-to source for success in
(00:21):
the small business world.
Let's get started.
Two-sorts for success in thesmall business world.
Let's get started.
Hi everyone, my name is TammyHershberger and I am back with
another episode of Light Up yourBusiness podcast.
I hope you're all having alovely day.
Today I want to talk to youabout how we tackle the
sensitive issue of decliningwork performance among our
(00:44):
employees and explore effectivestrategies for addressing it
with empathy and professionalism.
We're going to identify theroot cause, as well as how to
provide constructive feedbackand support.
We'll navigate the complexitiesof managing performance issues
in the workplace and then drawfrom real-life scenarios to
offer you practical tips.
And then draw from real-lifescenarios to offer you practical
(01:05):
tips.
This episode offers actionableguidance for managers and
leaders who seek to supportstruggling employees and improve
overall team performance.
So let's dig right into it.
So let's recognize the signs ofdecline.
I mean, I'm sure if you pictureyour employees and if you have
one, that's a bad apple, I'msure lots of things are coming
to your mind right now.
So you want to identify when anemployee's work performance is
(01:26):
on the decline.
So a few signs, I meanobviously I think it's kind of
always obvious, but some signsare their goals and deadlines
are constantly being missed.
You know they're not gettingstuff done on time.
Jobs are not getting done ontime.
They're not hitting any of thegoals that you're setting for
them.
They have misalignedorganizational and employee
values, so like they're arguingwith their employees, they don't
agree with the vision for thecompany.
(01:47):
You know they don't do thingsthe way you ask them to do it.
All these different things.
They have an unwillingness tocollaborate with others.
They're not willing to be ateam player.
They're for themselves and youcan tell it Relying on
colleagues to complete work.
Again, they're not doing theirwork.
(02:09):
They're pushing it onto otherpeople, which then burns out and
annoys your other employees.
And then they have a disregardfor company rules.
I've seen that many times inone of my companies I worked or
owned.
The people wouldn't.
They'd lie about doing thetruck inspections or they would
say they cleaned something andthey never did, or they wouldn't
do the inventory or whatever.
They just had no integrity andthey would just do whatever the
heck they wanted.
So when we talk aboutinvestigating the root cause,
(02:31):
like what is causing thisproblem, when you address the
employee's declining workperformance, it's really
important to figure out the rootcause of it.
This way you are better able toaddress and resolve the issue.
Some underlying issuescontribute to performance
decline.
Could be things such as liketheir workload's way too much.
They're overworked.
Maybe the job's not a good fitfor them, they don't like what
(02:52):
they're doing, interpersonalconflict.
So they have things happeningin their personal life, or maybe
even things happening in thecompany that you don't realize
is going on, or they have somekind of personal challenge
they're experiencing.
So let's kind of dig into someof those common root causes of
their declining work performance.
So maybe they have a lack ofresources and sometimes that's
(03:14):
the easiest one to address andit's when your employee's
lacking time or money orpersonal items or supplies that
they need to complete the taskand then complete it well, right
.
So dig into it.
Did you give them too short ofa deadline?
Do they not have the budgetthey need to complete the task
and then complete it well, right, so dig into it.
Did you give them too short ofa deadline?
Do they not have the budgetthey need to complete this task?
Maybe they don't have thepersonnel, maybe they don't have
enough help.
There's always, sometimes, goodreason for what's happening, if
(03:36):
you dig into it.
And if it's not that, thenmaybe it's a lack of skills,
maybe the employees are promotedbefore they were ready, or
they're maybe not trained wellenough, and if that's the case,
all you need to do is give themextra training or mentor them a
little bit.
Lack of clarity If they're notclear on what they're supposed
to be doing, or what the jobexpectations are, or the project
you know task are, or thedeadlines, then the employee can
(03:59):
misunderstand what's beingasked of them and maybe not
perform well.
And maybe it's not that they'repurposely not performing well.
Maybe it's just they don't knowwhat's going on or they don't
know what they're supposed to bedoing.
Maybe it's a lack ofappreciation.
When an employee isn'tacknowledged for their good work
, they begin to slack off.
Even someone that is slackingoff, it's important, as a
(04:20):
manager, to still recognize themfor what they are doing
correctly and it can not alwaysit can, but not always help them
step up to do a better job.
I mean, maybe if you're likeyou know we're struggling a
little here but you're doingreally great there, instead of
just being, you know, debbieDowner, maybe that'll be enough
to kind of get them, you know,to realize like I should be
doing something a littledifferent.
Then maybe there's burnout andthat does happen.
(04:46):
When an employee is bored orthey're burned out.
It usually means the talentedworker skills they're being
underutilized or they have toomuch on their plate.
And this is a sign that, as aleader, you need to help
re-engage them.
You need to re-energize them bygiving them projects you know
will be a good fit for them.
And then maybe you need toreadjust their workload, maybe
you need to take some stuff offtheir plate so that way it feels
(05:08):
more manageable manageable forthem.
And sometimes that happens whenyou know you're understaffed
and everybody's taking on extrawork, or someone quits and you
all have to take more on, or thebudget you know is not looking
good, so you have to downsize alittle and people take on more
work.
The problem is and it's noteven usually paid.
Their pay usually stays thesame but, like they're, they're
now trying to make you happy anddo a good job for you.
(05:30):
So they're working more hourswith less, you know, less help
or less product or less money orwhatever, and the pressure's on
and then it just gets to be toomuch.
And then maybe it's personalissues.
There are times when ourpersonal lives impact our
professional lives and this isdifficult to address because you
have to take time toacknowledge it and then see how,
(05:50):
as a leader, you can bestsupport your employee to boost
their morale and performance atwork.
You know, when an employeefeels supported as a person,
they are more likely to show upand thrive within the workplace.
And then maybe there's healthconcerns.
When an employee is facingserious health conditions, it's
important to remain empatheticand supportive as an employer.
Or maybe their family membersare facing maybe their wife or
their children.
(06:10):
It can be a difficult situationto navigate because it's out of
the control of you and youremployee.
I think in those cases, opencommunication and talking to
each other to find creativesolutions to best support your
employee in the business areimportant.
It can be something liketurning the job into a hybrid
job where they're able to workfrom home for some days of the
week, or maybe the rest of theteam could pick up certain tasks
(06:33):
for a while to kind of helplighten their load, you know,
take the burden off of them.
So to find the root cause,there needs to be a conversation
with two, three, whoever'sinvolved At least you and the
employee, maybe you, the managerand the employee.
So let's take a moment to kindof look at that.
And then let's talk aboutconstructive feedback, because
(06:53):
people need to know what's goingon.
You don't want to just harp onthem, but you've got to give
them constructive feedback.
So it's important to master theart of giving and receiving
constructive feedback.
For some it may come naturallyand others it's not very easy.
Right?
I'm a communicator.
My other business partner wasnot, and sometimes I don't think
he gave feedback because Ithink he just didn't want to
(07:15):
address stuff.
He wanted to hide from it, andthen I would have to come in and
do the challenging part of likelet's have this hard
conversation now, you know, andif you address stuff early
enough, it gets to be.
It's sometimes easier becauseit hasn't gone on so long.
There's less resentment, lesshard feelings.
You know, because, even as anowner, if I watch you do a crap
job for long enough, I'm goingto have these hard feelings.
I'm going to get a littleresentful right, and that's why
(07:37):
you address stuff early.
So let's see where am I?
I just lost track where I was.
Okay.
So it says it can be challengingbecause walking the line of
criticism and constructivefeedback is quite thin when
providing constructive feedbackto an employee that has a
declining work performance.
You need to remember thesethings, okay.
So one is be fair andconsistent when managing your
(07:59):
team.
This will establish trustwithin your team.
You don't want to, you know, besuper cool with Jimmy and then
be super hard on John and then,when Jimmy's messing up, you're
still just hard on John and youdon't really have the same rules
for Jimmy.
Well, that's not going to workbecause John's going to see that
right.
So you have to be fair andconsistent.
Have balance in giving positiveand negative feedback.
(08:21):
Recognize them for when they'redoing good, let them know you
appreciate them and that you'renoticing when things are falling
through the cracks.
You mentioned that as well,because it tells people that
you're paying attention, you'reaware, and then the next most
important point is stay in theseat as the observer, so state
your observation objectively.
Let go of any conclusions youmay have about the person or the
(08:43):
situation and instead listen towhat they're saying.
Do your best to avoid labelingthem as good or bad.
We all have bad days.
We all have experiencedsituations that are different
for each person, right?
So be respectful and objectivewhen communicating.
Then you've got to be clear.
Clear communication is crucial.
Workplace conflicts that stemfrom miscommunication or
(09:07):
misunderstandings can be veryfrustrating.
It also is something, as aleader, that we use as a
learning opportunity and striveto communicate better with a
variety of people.
When someone feels clear andknows what's expected, they are
more likely to succeed, and itmight be helpful to establish,
you know, those smart goals forthem, so they have actionable
steps to help keep them focusedand they know if they're doing
(09:28):
better or they're not doingbetter.
I find it helpful tocollaborate with your employees
to develop your action plan ortheir goals.
This way, it's not just youforcing things onto them.
They have a say in it, right,and they'll be on the same page
as you.
So there's an SBI method whichis kind of interesting.
(09:49):
It's called situation, behaviorand impact.
It's a simple and direct modelyou can use when giving
constructive feedback.
So the S stands for situationDescribe the situation.
Be specific about when andwhere it occurred.
Behavior Describe theobservable behavior.
Don't assume you know what theother person's thinking.
And then the impact Desdescribe what you thought or
felt in reaction to the behavior.
(10:10):
So, as a leader, it's importantto have these conversations be
just that a conversation whereboth people get to communicate.
So, after you use the sbi methodand provide feedback, inquire
about the employee's intentregarding their behavior or
anything they would like to shedlight on.
This helps you to know and hearthe situation from their point
(10:31):
of view, because obviously youhave your view.
You have a view of whathappened, the manager has a view
of what happened, the employeeshave a view of what happened
and then the person who wasinvolved in it has their own
view, and if you don't take timeto consider what their view is,
you're missing out, becausethey maybe see it totally
different than you.
Maybe they see something youdon't see.
So, as a rule of thumb, whengiving constructive feedback, do
(10:53):
a face-to-face.
It sets the tone that youremployee matters and that you
genuinely want to hear theirside of the story.
It gives them a voice.
Who doesn't want a voice?
Even if your job is remote,having a video call where you
can see the person is the mosteffective way to communicate in
a difficult conversation.
And I can tell you myself I'vehad some very tough
conversations with businesspartners, employees, my husband,
(11:15):
and every time I have thosehard conversations over a phone
it goes awry because I can't seetheir face.
I say stuff that maybe theydon't see, my, that I'm, you
know, maybe joking or maybe I'mfrustrated or whatever.
And I can tell you in myexperience those really hard
(11:36):
conversations go much better forme.
When I'm in person I feel likethere's for me there's more
compassion and I can see ifthey're nervous, I can see if
they're worked up, I can see ifI said something that offended
them.
I can see if something ismoving them right, like I can
see it.
On a phone you can't see it,and then I can kind of course,
correct and be like wait asecond, what I said didn't come
(11:56):
out right or they didn't takethat correctly or they're
getting worked up and now I needto address that, and I just do
so much better on the phone orI'm sorry, I much better on in
person than on the phone and youknow, in past conflicts I've
had, I've told people that, likeI want to talk in person
because it goes better for me,like I just it doesn't go well
on the phone and sometimes theywon't work with me and we do it
(12:19):
on the phone and it doesn't gowell.
And so learn that aboutyourself and then address it.
And then you want to offersupport and resources.
So sometimes it can be thatpeople are underperforming
because they need more training.
If you're seeing the sameissues constantly coming up with
different employees, that's asignal to you that you
(12:40):
definitely need to invest inmore training, because they're
all struggling or maybe thetrainer is not doing a good job
teaching these people.
And then maybe you need to payfor employees to attend certain
conferences or webinars wherethey feel like they're better
equipped to handle their job.
It sometimes boosts morale.
So, like leadership classes,management classes, that kind of
thing.
Also, you can offer resourcesor referrals for more support,
(13:04):
such as counseling services orwellness programs.
You know bigger companies canoffer that.
And then you really want to likemonitor the progress right,
like, are these people making amovement towards better?
Are they getting better?
So you've now had these hardconversations with the employee.
Now you want to monitor theirwork performance.
That's why having like smartgoals can help you and your
(13:26):
employees see what they need tobe doing instead of just having
an idea about it right.
So you can be like you need tosell five jobs a week, you need
to bring in this much revenue,you need to whatever the goal is
right, and then you can sitdown and be like did you do this
, did you do that, did you dothat?
We do that in coaching with myclients.
Sometimes I'm like did you getany of your things done?
Because what is the reason youdidn't do them?
And this is the same thing youcan be asking these people that
(13:47):
are supposed to be progressingwhy are we not progressing?
Why are we going backwards?
Right, it's important to reviewand check in on their progress.
It allows you and youremployees to discuss issues that
may have arose within theimprovement period and then also
when an employee feels part ofsomething, they feel seen, they
feel valued and they stay moremotivated to improve and reach
(14:11):
their goals.
So, regardless of workperformance improvement, it's
helpful to establish regularcheck-ins when we provide people
with consistent feedback andcommunicate openly as a team.
It creates an environment wherethe entire team knows what they
can do to improve.
However, if there is an issuethat needs to be addressed
sooner than the next scheduledcheck-in, then go for it.
(14:32):
Get it done now.
It's important to be timelywhen addressing issues.
This will help when the mistakehappens, so it doesn't happen
again.
So I want to talk about thisreally fast.
Some people I know that Ipersonally work with, they think
I'm going to push it off, pushit off, we'll talk about later,
talk about later, talk aboutlater and hopefully it'll go
away.
Well, it doesn't.
And then you know, there's beentimes I've had to wait a week
(14:55):
for the next meeting and itdrives me crazy for a week and I
stew on it and stew on it, andstew on it, and then it almost
makes it worse becauseI'vethinked it and for me it's
better to just get it out.
Let's have a discussion now soI can get it out and move on,
because I forgive easy, I willmove on, but some stuff cannot
(15:16):
be always pushed off.
So if you're one of thosepeople push everything off.
You got to stop doing that.
Face it, be a man, stand up,get it done.
Then you want to document allthese performance conversations,
right?
Documenting them, including thegoals, the actionable plans,
follow-up actions.
That way it's on paper andevery time you meet you can pull
(15:37):
it back out and say this iswhat you said, this is what you
did, this is what didn't happen,this is what we need to try
next time, right?
So if it gets to a point whereyou have to lay them off, all
this is documented.
You can show them why thisisn't working right.
It's important to schedule andkeep those one-on-one meetings
with your employees on a regularbasis.
So document where the meetingstake place, what was discussed
within the meeting, any personalmatters that came up.
(15:57):
Make sure they're allconfidential you do not want to
be sharing these with otherpeople and then document the
process so that you, as a leader, you're observing their
improvements or lack thereof,and then, from there, you can
make informed decisions aboutwhat's the best thing to do for
(16:17):
your business.
And if something is notimproving, that's when you can
say okay, now I have to make thehard call I'm either going to
reprimand you or I'm going toterminate you.
And this I mean Dave Ramseyjust talked about in the
conference I went to this year,like this is something that we
have to be serious about,because people push the ball and
they don't want to deal with itand it's hurting your company,
(16:38):
it's hurting your employees,it's hurting you, it causes
stress you don't need so.
Depending on how your businessis structured, you may need to
use additional interventions ormaybe there's multiple
disciplinary actions before youget to termination, you know,
make sure you look at yourhandbooks, your policies, your
whole process so you're doing itcorrectly, and then you're
(17:04):
dealing with it on paper so youhave your documentation for your
HR.
You want to remember.
You want to cultivate a cultureof continuous improvement.
I believe that a thrivingworkplace environment fosters a
culture where feedback, growthand development are valued and
encouraged.
We want our employees to feellike they want to come to work,
because there will be a rippleeffect out from the overall
business to how your customersfeel when they come in, to how
they're treated by youremployees.
(17:25):
So for you as a leader, youwant to keep a growth mindset at
the forefront when dealing withdifficult situations.
It helps you orient into moreof an objective role so you can
coach them rather than dictatethem, and notice that they're
able to be coached, and thengive them feedback.
And remember, if you seeimprovement in an employee's
(17:46):
performance, tell them.
It's important to recognize andcelebrate those improvements,
which will hopefully encouragethem to keep up the good work
right.
Who doesn't want to know whenyou're doing better?
Remember this all fuels thatsense of appreciation and the
fact that your employees matter.
Recognition can go a long way.
(18:07):
You know I have stories galore.
I can tell you the most recentones I've had with business
partners.
I will say you know, I'd havethese conversations of like this
isn't working, this isn'tworking.
And then sometimes it wouldimprove and I would tell them
you are, I'm really impressed.
And then a few weeks later itwould crap out again and it's
not working.
(18:27):
It's not working and I had thisfor, excuse me, I had this for
a long time and eventually I gotto the point where it was like
it's not working for me.
I can't get this person tochange.
They were setting goals, we'redoing things to try to work with
.
I'm moving, they're trying tomove, and it's just not working.
And then it comes to a pointwhere you just say you know, we
(18:49):
tried our best, it's not working, and you either walk away from
the business, you sell thebusiness.
Whatever works for you to getyourself out and to make peace.
That's what you do.
If it's you know an employee,you let them go.
So I encourage you to approachperformance discussions with
empathy and professionalism andfocus on support and improvement
(19:10):
.
Remember to have the grace foryourself as you learn to
navigate these difficultsituations, as well as the grace
for your employees.
One key takeaway from theepisode today that I want you to
remember is to step into therole of an observer rather than
the interpreter, so you canstrive to let go of the stories
or emotions that you have builtup towards this person or the
(19:31):
situation, which then allow youto handle it more professionally
.
Guys, I want to thank all of youfor listening today.
I invite you to share yourexperience and insights on
addressing performance issues inthe workplace by visiting
wwwlightupyourbusinesspodcastcom.
I hope this podcast episodeoffered practical guidance and
strategies for you as a managerand leader, navigating declining
(19:52):
work performance amongemployees.
Please share this episode withanyone you might think would
benefit from it.
If you're interested in comingon my podcast, you can contact
us through the website I justgave you.
You know I would love to bringyou on talk about your business
struggles.
You're having blessings.
Whatever you have to talk about, I would love to bring that on.
Remember to like, share,subscribe all of that good stuff
(20:16):
.
You can find me on Facebook,iheartradio, apple Podcasts,
everywhere, so let other peopleknow about me.
Let me know who has interest.
You know that has interest incoming on this podcast, who has
interest in hearing it.
If you have ideas of things youwant me to talk about, send
those in.
I would love to hear them.
And then I hope that byexploring these key principles
and strategies and real-lifeexamples, you are empowered to
(20:37):
address performance issueswithin your company with empathy
and professionalism and focuson support and improvement to
really light up your business.
Hey, thank you all for listening.
I will see you guys next time.
And remember in the world ofbusiness, every success story
begins with a passionate dreamand ends with a strategic
(20:58):
billion dollar handshake.
Stay ambitious, stay innovativeand keep making those deals
that reshape tomorrow.
Thank you all for tuning in anduntil next time, remember.
Proverbs 3.3 says let love andfaithfulness never leave you.
Bind them around your neck,write them on the tablet of your
heart.
That way, you will win favorand a good name in the sight of
(21:20):
God and man.
And remember if you like whatyou heard today, click the
follow button so you never missan episode.
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