The following series of five yes-or-no questions can help you manage future performance in a new way. Your answers will steer you toward a turnaround conversation appropriate to the situation and the underperformer.
Once you become familiar with the questions, you’ll be able to assess which conversation is needed in a matter of minutes. You’ll be on your way to managing underperformance instead of living with its effects.
Ask yourself:
- Does the person know what’s expected?
- Has the person performed to standard in the past?
- Have you already addressed the performance problem more than once?
- Does the person have the capability of performing to standard?
- Is the person coachable?
Assuming you have the information, you need to make an unbiased judgment, the way you answer these questions can help you determine how best to approach your turnaround process. The following chart shows how that process flows.
As the model illustrates, the questions help you select the appropriate approach for turning around problem performance. For each question, there are three possible responses: yes, no, or not sure. These responses correspond with the Y’s, N’s, and NS’s on the chart. If you’re truly not sure—meaning you can’t definitively answer yes or no— give employees the benefit of the doubt (the NS’s on the chart track that path). If you treat the employees with respect, the more receptive they’re likely to be. Shooting first and asking questions later makes the turnaround more of a challenge for everyone.
Source: How to Turn around Problem Performance in Five Questions or Less
Subject: Human Resources Questions
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