
Masonry arches. Arches are so strong and stable that they can survive even when the buildings they formerly belonged to have disappeared or when they've been looted for their stone blocks. Strong as they are, though, arches collapse instantly if one of their stones is removed. Teams are much like arches. They're strong and productive if every team member performs, but if one team member fails to perform, the team might be unable to produce.
Suppose you're a team lead of some kind, and a team member — call him Oscar — is exhibiting a pattern of substandard performance that limits team performance. If you aren't Oscar's supervisor, how can you put this right? What are some common mistakes to avoid?
Let's define performance issues first. A performance issue is any pattern of failing to meet organizational standards of conduct, attitude, or results. Examples include accomplishing assigned tasks late, excessive questioning of the legitimacy of assignments, or failing to comply with team priorities or norms.
The essential elements of a performance issue are the pattern and the organizational standards. Occasional deviation from organizational standards isn't a performance issue, because Life happens. What makes deviation from standards a performance issue is repetition. And even though you might have expectations relative to conduct, attitude, or results, performance is an issue only if your expectations are consistent with organizational standards.
Here are seven guidelines for dealing with performance issues as a nonsupervisor.
- Confer with your supervisor and Oscar's supervisor
- Before acting, confer with your supervisor. Alert him or her to the problem. Ask for comments on your plan. Do the same with Oscar's supervisor. Emphasize to both that you'd like to settle the matter personally with Oscar. Express confidence.
- Have a private conversation
- Speak with Oscar privately. Avoid embarrassing him publicly.
- Remember: you aren't Oscar's supervisor
- Approach the conversation with Oscar as a negotiation between peers. Because you don't supervise Oscar, you cannot issue orders or commands. Make your needs known to Oscar, and request his cooperation.
- State your concerns clearly
- Express your concerns, explaining to Oscar how his performance compromises team performance. Ask Oscar for any information that could change your perspective.
- Seek agreement
- The goal of the conversation with Oscar is agreement about what will change and when. Determine what he needs, and provide it if it's reasonable. Write down what you both agree to, in hardcopy, signed by both of you.
- If you can't agree, explain what's next
- Tell Oscar Occasional deviation from organizational
standards isn't a performance issue.
It is repetition that makes
substandard performance an issue.that you're disappointed that agreement wasn't possible, and that you'll be consulting your supervisor about next steps. Oscar will likely contact his supervisor to prepare a defense, but if he doesn't indicate his intention to do so, recommend it to him. - Follow through
- If Oscar makes real progress, celebrate it in some way. Express your delight and confidence in him. If Oscar doesn't make sufficient progress, consult your supervisor and explain what went wrong. Let him or her know that the team's objective is at risk. Work together to deal with the problem.
If your supervisor can't or won't intervene effectively to address the issue, then the task for which you're accountable might be at risk. If you have a risk plan, add this item, omitting Oscar's actual name, of course. At this point, you've done what you can do. It isn't satisfying, but that's that. Top
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Related articles
More articles on Personal, Team, and Organizational Effectiveness:
Taming the Time Card
- Filling out time cards may seem maddeningly trivial, but the data they collect can be critically important
to project managers. Why is it so important? And what does an effective, yet minimally intrusive time
reporting system look like?
Express Your Appreciation and Trust
- Some people in your organization have done really outstanding work. You want to recognize that work,
but the budget is so small that anything you could do would be insulting. What can you do? Express your
Appreciation and Trust.
Mastering Meeting Madness
- If you lead an organization, and people are mired in meeting madness, you can end it. Here are a few
tips that can free everyone to finally get some work done.
Trips to Abilene
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we say that they're taking a trip to Abilene. Here are some tips for noticing and preventing trips to Abilene.
A Message Is Only a Message
- When we receive messages of disapproval, we sometimes feel bad. And when we do, it can help to remember
that we have the freedom to decide whether or not to accept the messages we receive.
See also Personal, Team, and Organizational Effectiveness and Effective Communication at Work for more related articles.
Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout
Coming June 7: Toxic Disrupters: Tactics
- Some people tend to disrupt meetings. Their motives vary, but they use techniques drawn from a limited collection. Examples: they violate norms, demand attention, mess with the agenda, and sow distrust. Response begins with recognizing their tactics. Available here and by RSS on June 7.
And on June 14: Pseudo-Collaborations
- Most workplace collaborations produce results of value. But some collaborations — pseudo-collaborations — are inherently incapable of producing value, due to performance management systems, or lack of authority, or lack of access to information. Available here and by RSS on June 14.
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