Remember this: There is no such thing as a bad employee, but an employee doing the wrong job or for the wrong reasons.
Low performers are quite common. Roughly 10% of any team fit in the “low performers” category.
There are 4 factors that will keep an employee in the “low performer” category:
- Their personality
- Access to knowledge
- Access to proper tools
- Their self-efficacy belief
1. Personality
The employee’s personality significantly shapes their performance, and it’s important to recognize that personality traits are inherently resistant to change. Human beings think and act in patterns. If a specific behavior led us to the desired result, then we will most likely repeat the behavior when faced with a similar challenge.
So, make sure that the employee’s personality fits the job and not the other way around. Therefore, don’t expect a highly compassionate person to ever become a sales superstar, or a competitive individual to excel in a customer service role; it’s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
Keep in mind that one of the most important tasks a leader is responsible for is to ensure that they have the right person doing the right job!
2. Access to knowledge
Low performance is, in some cases, the result of poor access to knowledge.
Therefore, invest in your team, build and maintain a rigorous onboarding and training plan, and consistently keep them informed about procedural updates.
3. Access to proper tools
There are plenty of companies out there with sky-high expectations, but here’s the kicker – their teams are stuck using outdated or downright dysfunctional tools.
It’s essential that you appreciate your team’s time and not point fingers at them when productivity falls short due to faulty work equipment. It’s no wonder those KPIs are a struggle!
4. Self-efficacy
Self-efficacy is a belief in one’s own ability to successfully execute and accomplish specific tasks, goals, or challenges.
Even if you hire the right person, provide solid training, and all the right tools, if that self-belief is missing in your employee, you might end up with a team member who’s a bundle of nerves. Their anxiety might interfere with their ability to deliver great results.
As a leader, it’s vital to make time for one-on-one sessions with your team members. Sit them down, listen closely to their worries, offer support and guide them out of their comfort zone.
To summarize, there are 4 factors that can lead to low performance: (1) the employees’ lack of willingness to improve, (2) their lack of knowledge, (3) the lack of proper tools, and (4) the lack of confidence.
The leader can help with factors 2, 3 and 4, but factor #1 is not under the leader’s control. The only thing that you can do is to ensure that you hire the proper person for the proper job in the first place.