Chapter 18

Help Me! Helping Struggling Employees

In This Chapter

arrow Comparing aptitude- and attitude-based disengagement

arrow Helping underperforming employees

arrow Knowing when it's time to let an employee go

Have you ever heard someone say this: “Great news! I just received a job offer from Company ABC! I'm so excited! I can't wait to start work so I can fail miserably!”

Or what about this: “I'm so thrilled! I've finally found the perfect candidate. I can't wait for this person to join our team so he can fall flat on his face and get fired!”

Ridiculous, right? No one accepts a new job or assignment with aspirations of failure. And no manager would ever hire someone she thought would fail. Yet, it happens all the time.

The fact is, sometimes, employees struggle. This struggle typically manifests itself in poor performance. So, what can you do to help a struggling employee get back on track? First, identify the cause of the poor performance.

During the course of my career, I've dealt with employees with all manner of performance problems, ranging from delays in deliverables, to attendance issues, to lack of initiative and beyond. And in the vast majority of these cases, the root cause of ...

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