WPA in the News

Management Lessons from Underperforming Employees

April 23, 2007

By Lynn Lieber, Esq.

Managers with well-developed people management skills are critical to the success of any business. How many of you can recall having a manager or twelve in the past who led by intimidation or fear, or simply didn’t manage at all until it was time for annual performance reviews? Many of these managers kept their jobs because they “produce the numbers,” were long time employees who no one wanted to take on, or because the business wasn’t truly aware of their ineffective management skills. In any event, the odds are that you weren’t very happy employees under their care.

For the managers of these managers, one of the biggest challenges is gaining a realistic perspective about their actual skill sets. Having weekly or monthly one-on-ones to get department updates and talk about the budget and project status does not always allow for objective insights into the manager’s effectiveness. It takes a higher level of commitment and inquiry. That’s because when it comes to understanding the skills and strengths of our own employees, what you see is not always what you get. Some distance is needed. And human resources professionals can help managers gain a more realistic perspective by encouraging them to consider some of the following ideas:

Tracking “Problem Performers” - One source of information that may give better insight into how their managers manage is to be alert to how many “problem performers” the managers are handling. For example, if a manager has three managers that report up to him or her, and one of them seems to be struggling with underperforming or problem employees more often than the others, this could be a red flag about the manager’s own skills. Therefore, it is an opportunity to take time to learn more. While it is possible that the employees are, in fact, less than stellar, it is also possible that the manager is part of the problem.

Underdeveloped Communications Skills - A manager’s most important tool is the ability to communicate effectively. This is particularly true when it comes to communicating expectations and providing feedback to employees. A manager with underdeveloped communications skills is not a resource for employees as he or she should be. And such a manager will never cross the line to become a leader.

Addressing Problems Early - When an employee’s performance begins to fall off or an employee’s conduct becomes an issue, good managers try to address the problem early on. Through counseling, coaching, training, support and other means, an effective manager can help an employee improve and, in the process, create a stronger relationship with the employee. If you notice that your managers don’t seem able to solve issues with their employees, the manager may not be performing in the way their management thought or expected.

Upper management should take the time in these circumstances to learn more. They can spend more time working with their managers to mentor them in problem solving and communication skills. They can review the manager’s history to see if there are any repetitive themes in the types of issues the manager has been confronting. They also can determine whether the manager had appropriate management and leadership training and has the temperament needed to guide the performance of other employees.

Perhaps there has been more turnover in that manager’s department than would otherwise be expected? Or perhaps that manager’s employees talk to HR about the manager more often than expected? Or maybe employees who are known historically to be good performers are now being performance managed or disciplined by the manager? All of these could be indications that the manager who is considered a star performer is actually less than effective. You could find there has been a misplaced positive view of the manager’s skills and that HR and management need to get more involved in helping to improve the manager’s performance.

The bottom line is that managers of managers have a responsibility to be fully aware of the true depth of the managers’ skills. If time is not taken to understand and assess the quality of managers’ performance outside of one-on-one meetings, those managers may not be receiving the guidance they need for achieving success.

Human resources professionals can work with management to develop targeted training programs that give all managers a strong foundation in their skills for managing others. And when the training is done, steps should be taken to make sure that the business has a realistic view of a manager’s performance in guiding other employees.

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