In this episode of The Happy Leader, I share insights on addressing chronic underperformers in the workplace. Chronic underperformance not only affects productivity but also has emotional and professional consequences for leaders and teams. I’ll go into the reasons behind underperformance, such as skill mismatches, personal challenges, and lack of motivation, helping you determine the root cause to inform the right course of action.

I’ll share the story of the leadership team of a well-known non-profit organization here in Silicon Valley, whose delays in addressing the underperformance of a team member eventually led to questioning the abilities of the team leader.

Lastly, I’ll provide a strategic approach for leaders to leverage to address underperformance, including how to gather data, having a candid performance conversation, and setting clear expectations and goals for improvement.

Key Questions Discussed In the Podcast

Why waiting to address poor performance amongst your team is a losing strategy
How to determine the best way to address poor performance
What steps you can take to address the underlying issues of a team member’s poor performance.


Resources Mentioned In the Podcast

Contact Amy to secure leadership training: amy@swim-against.com



Further Reading

When Bad Teams Happen to Good People: Your Complete Repair Guide for Successful Teamwork - by Valerie Patrick, PhD