Every business owner has come across the dilemma of problem people or under-performers in their business.
It is a tough position to be in! How fair is too fair?
Over the years I had to learn that being fair always, is not necessarily the best approach when you are a team leader or business manager.
It was a book written by David Shein, the founder of Com-Tech called "The Dumbest Guy at the Table" that really opened my eyes.
He puts it,
"Be fair first, and be tough second"
He explains how being fair for too long can be detrimental to the other members of the team, and you are at a risk of losing their respect if you do not deal with under-performers.
This was very true in my own case... I had employed a person we shall call Rachel in August 2020. She learnt fast, did her job well and I thought she had a lot of potential.
Within 6 months her performance was becoming inconsistent, and I worked with her trying to keep it where it needed to be. She would have 1 or 2 good weeks, followed by a number of bad weeks.
Rather than facing the issue head on, I tried to encourage her, for about 6 months. It turned out she just wasn't interested and wanted a change.
I delayed for 6 months longer than I should have to have a tough conversation, which created 6 months of stress for her, for me and for her immediate colleagues.
Since then, I have found that fair first, tough second has solved a load of problems, and 9 times out of 10 a tough conversation will actually save an employee and help them regain their passion for the role, rather than leaving them to lose interest over an extended period of time.
I would really recommend anyone with a team to read David Sheins book... you will find it incredibly helpful in all areas of business.
Feel free to reach out if you feel like you need help with managing your team, or advice on improving performance of your staff.
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