Most managers, at some time in their career, have to deal with a poor performer. It can often be frustrating and a thankless task, unless you have the right tools to help you.
There is an old Chinese proverb which said that “For every hundred men hacking away at the branches of a diseased tree, only one will stoop to inspect the roots.”
Are individual members of your team performing less well than you’d hoped? If so, this proverb can take on great significance. To figure out what’s causing the performance issue, you have to get to the root of the problem.
But because employee performance affects organisational performance, we tend to want to look for a quick fix. Would a training course help? Or should you move the problem into a different role?
These types of solutions focus largely on the ability of the person performing the job. Performance, though, is a function of both ability and motivation.
Performance = Ability x Motivation
Where:

  • Ability is the person’s aptitude, as well as the training and resources supplied by the organisation.
  • Motivation is the product of desire and commitment.

Someone with 100 percent motivation and 75 performance ability can often achieve above-average performance. But a worker with only 25 percent ability won’t be able to achieve the type of performance you expect, regardless of his or her level of motivation.
How to deal with a Poor Performer – use P.R.I.C.E. to help you
= Pinpoint the standard you want
= Record the facts of what is happening
= Involve the person
= Coach, support, train
= Evaluate what has changed at a reasonable time later.
By using this acronym, you will have a great structure to help getting to the core of the poor performance and so work with the employee to start on the journey to improvement.

If any of the issues raised in this article affect your business, please give us a call to discuss your options. We’re a friendly bunch and really keen to make a difference to your business by finding a solution that works for you and your business so call us on 01473 360160.

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