Be A Great Leader

Leaders deal with difficult tasks, they don’t put them off. One of the hardest tasks is when a staff member has to have their employment terminated. It doesn’t matter it is someone who is at the end of their trial period or someone who is struggling in their current position,

it is still difficult for the leader to pass on the bad news and tell them that they have to move out of their current position. No matter what your leadership approach is, no matter how good you are at job, sacking somebody for consistently failing to perform, is an unpleasant task.

The situation is much clearer if an employee has committed some crime or crossed some ethical boundary. Where it is a performance issue, the situation is not as clearly defined. What level of performance is unacceptable? How long is too long?

Have you provided sufficient resources for the person to be successful? Have you provided effective training, counseling, motivation and most of all, have you provided the level of leadership necessary for success?

Some leaders are so overwhelmed by the complexity of these questions that they avoid the situation. They shuffle the non-performer sideways where they can do less harm or they employ someone extra to compensate for the problem. Regrettably,

this is a damaging approach and inevitably the business will suffer. The best leaders used a totally different way of approaching a problem performer. They have a mindset that reconciles a standard of excellence with a genuine need to care. They know that it is cruel to keep the non-performer in a position where they are failing.

They use excellence as a frame of reference to assess performance and they refuse to compromise on that standard. So they will answer the question, “What is the level of performance that is unacceptable?”

By saying, “Any level of performance that is about average and is showing no sign of improvement.” Likewise, great leaders move quickly as soon as there is evidence of low performance.

They respond to the question, “How long will you tolerate low performance?” By saying, “Not long.” They move quickly as soon as they see that a member of staff is not improving their performance.

Often, a poor performer has been employed in the organization for some time and due to technology or changes or both, that person is no longer able to contribute at their previous high level.

Over a period of time their performance has gradually declined as they have failed to change to meet the new demands of their job. This situation for a leader is extremely difficult because of the relationships that have been built up during the person’s long service.

Great leaders use a mixture of compassion and an uncompromising approach to standards of performance. This creates a group of loyal followers who know exactly what sort of performance is required