Managing & Improving Employee Performance

Motivate employees by treating them as individuals, learning their background and goals, aligning tasks with their aspirations, and supporting skill development with time off, praise, and resources.

Clarify explicit and implicit performance expectations and communicate targets continuously, adopting a coaching approach with frequent, specific feedback to guide improvement. Treat feedback as ongoing coaching, not annual judgment.

Celebrate positive achievements by visibly recognizing employees, reinforcing valued actions, and fostering a collaborative team culture where successes are shared and learned from together.

track and acknowledge positive employee behavior to boost motivation; create a spreadsheet to log each employee's good actions and the rewards, reviewed weekly to celebrate progress throughout the year.

Assess whether underperformance stems from unclear instructions, misaligned leadership style, or attitude versus aptitude, and adapt your leadership approach to meet each employee's needs for timely, high-quality results.

Develop a shared understanding of a performance issue, confirm willingness to improve, and create a collaborative plan with time and space for steady progress and regular check-ins.

Reframe your role from manager to coach to align interests, drive success, and provide support and frequent feedback that helps underperforming employees improve.

Identify whether burnout or job mismatch causes disengagement, then use a spirit of inquiry to uncover on-the-job causes and offer support, reassignment, or meaningful work to boost motivation and performance.

Initiate a direct, open, non-accusatory conversation to explore employee motivation, listen without judgment, and collaboratively uncover what they like or dislike, their ideal role, and 3–5 year goals.

Identify skill gaps and pursue varied training options, from private coaching to mentoring, for public speaking, then decide if the skill is must-have and set timelines before letting them go.

Collaborate with the employee to address misalignment through direct, constructive conversation, exploring next steps, including more time, a resignation, or alternative roles, rather than resorting to force.

Intervene creatively as a manager to develop a personalized improvement strategy that coaches employees toward growth, transforming underperformers into great performers and fostering a culture where all can thrive.