Management In A Changing World

CHAPTER 9ADDRESSING PERFORMANCEPROBLEMS

If you flipped to this chapter first before reading anything else, we're not surprised. One of the biggest reasons managers come to us for help is because they have a performance problem and they don't know what to do next.¹

Imagine this: You manage a staff person, Sam, who's been struggling in her role for months. You inherited the managerial relationship after a team restructure. You realize early on that you probably wouldn't have hired her, given her inconsistent demonstration of the must‐haves. So you spend the first six months building your relationship and offering as much coaching and development as you can. But the role requires a high level of precision and organization, which Sam doesn't seem to have, despite each of your best efforts to develop her. Eventually, you wonder if you need to let her go. But before you do, Sam decides to leave on her own. You wish it could have turned out differently, but you did your best to support Sam and part ways gracefully. Months later, a co‐worker tells you, “Sam told me you're the best manager she's ever had.”

Huh?

You might be thinking to yourself—how could this be? Sam struggled for months. She was on the verge of being fired. So how did she leave that job with such a strong positive feeling about her manager?

To be clear, the point of this story isn't that you should strive to be everybody's best manager. It's also not a case study of perfect management. When we asked Penny, the manager ...