Behind the Performance Problem
BEHIND THE PERFORMANCE SERIES: 01 - Behind the performance problem
When an employee's performance starts to slip, leaders naturally focus on what they can see.
Missed deadlines.
More mistakes.
Lower productivity.
Poor follow-through.
Work that isn't meeting expectations.
And when the problem continues, the conversation often moves quickly toward accountability, corrective action, or discipline.
Sometimes, that is exactly what is required.
But throughout my years working with leaders and organizations, I've learned that what we see in an employee's performance isn't always the whole story.
Before asking, "How do I correct this employee's performance?" there is another question worth asking:
"Do I understand what is driving the performance problem?"
That distinction matters.
“If we address the behaviour without understanding what is behind it, we may correct the symptom without solving the problem.”
What Leaders See
Performance problems are usually visible.
A leader may see an employee who:
Is missing deadlines
Is making more mistakes
Requires repeated reminders
Is not taking initiative
Is producing inconsistent work
Is struggling to meet expectations
Seems less engaged than before
From the leader's perspective, the issue may appear straightforward:
They aren't performing.
And when everyone else is busy and results matter, it can be tempting to move immediately into correction mode.
But effective performance management requires more than identifying what someone is doing wrong.
It requires understanding why the gap exists.
What's Really Driving It?
There are many reasons an employee may not be performing at the level expected of them.
The employee may not clearly understand the expectation.
They may understand what they are supposed to do but not have the skill or confidence to do it.
Responsibilities may have changed without enough communication.
The employee may be overwhelmed.
Their role may be poorly aligned with what they naturally do well.
They may be receiving conflicting direction from different leaders.
They may not understand why their work matters or how success is measured.
They may simply be choosing not to meet an expectation they fully understand and are capable of meeting.
These are very different problems.
And they require very different leadership responses.
Clarity requires communication.
A skill gap requires development.
Low confidence may require coaching.
Misalignment may require a different approach.
A behavioural choice may require accountability.
The leader's job is to determine which problem they are actually dealing with.
Performance Management Should Start With Diagnosis
Think about how often leaders try to solve a performance problem before they have diagnosed it.
We wouldn't want someone repairing an expensive piece of equipment by replacing parts until something works.
Yet we sometimes approach people that way.
We remind.
We correct.
We push harder.
We repeat ourselves.
We become frustrated.
And eventually we conclude:
"They just don't care."
Sometimes the issue isn't effort.
Sometimes the leadership approach isn't reaching the employee in the way they need to understand, engage, or perform.
This is where knowing Strengths can give leaders another lens.
How The Knowledge of Strengths Helps Leaders Look Behind Performance
Strengths doesn't excuse poor performance.
And understanding someone's strengths does not mean lowering expectations.
Quite the opposite.
Strengths give leaders additional information for helping people meet those expectations.
Strengths helps us understand the natural patterns behind how people think, feel, and behave.
Those patterns influence how employees:
Approach their work
Solve problems
Build relationships
Process information
Respond to change
Make decisions
Take action
Communicate
Stay motivated
Respond under pressure
Once leaders understand those differences, performance conversations can become much more productive.
Instead of only asking:
"Why aren't you doing this?"
the leader can begin exploring:
"What is getting in the way of you doing this successfully?"
That is a very different conversation.
The Same Performance Problem Can Have Different Causes
Imagine two employees are repeatedly missing deadlines.
On paper, they have the same performance problem.
But what's behind it may be completely different.
An employee with strong Deliberativetalents may be spending too much time evaluating risk before moving forward.
Someone with strong Responsibilitymay have taken on too many commitments and is struggling to say no.
Someone with Analyticalmay believe they need more information before making a decision.
An employee with strong Adaptabilitymay continually respond to whatever feels most urgent and lose sight of longer-term deadlines.
Someone with Achievermay be working extremely hard but taking on so much that priorities have become blurred.
The deadline still matters.
The expectation doesn't disappear.
But knowing what may be contributing to the problem gives the leader a much better starting point for coaching.
Instead of treating five employees with the same performance issue exactly the same way, the leader can maintain a consistent standard while individualizing the path to achieving it.
That is one of the most valuable aspects of strengths-based leadership.
Strengths Can Also Get in the Way
One of the misconceptions about CliftonStrengths is that strengths are always positive.
Our talents are powerful, but when they are overused, misapplied, or operating under pressure, they can contribute to performance challenges.
A leader might see:
Activatoras impatience or moving before enough information is available.
Responsibilityas overcommitment.
Commandas overly forceful communication.
Harmonyas avoidance of necessary conflict.
Achieveras difficulty slowing down or setting boundaries.
Strategicas moving ahead mentally without bringing others along.
Restorativeas continually focusing on what's wrong.
The answer isn't to tell people to stop using these talents.
It's to help them become more aware of how and when they are using them.
That awareness gives both the leader and employee something practical to work with.
Before Moving to Discipline, Ask These Questions
When a performance issue emerges, I encourage leaders to slow down the assumption, not the accountability.
Ask:
1. Is the expectation clear?
Could the employee explain back to you exactly what successful performance looks like?
2. Does the employee have the skills and resources required?
Accountability cannot compensate for missing capability.
3. Is this a "can't do" or a "won't do" issue?
The leadership response should be very different.
4. What has changed?
If someone previously performed well, what is different now?
5. What does this person's natural way of working tell me?
Their CliftonStrengths may reveal how they approach the task, where they may be getting stuck, and what kind of coaching could help.
6. Have I adapted my leadership approach?
Leading people differently does not mean holding them to different standards.
7. Have I clearly addressed the performance gap?
Understanding the person should never become an excuse for avoiding a necessary conversation.
That final question is important.
Strengths-Based Leadership Is Not About Avoiding Accountability
Understanding what's behind performance does not mean explaining away poor performance.
Leaders still need standards.
Employees still need accountability.
Difficult conversations still need to happen.
There will also be situations where expectations are clear, resources have been provided, coaching has occurred, and the employee continues to choose behaviour that doesn't meet the standard.
At that point, stronger performance management or discipline may be appropriate.
The difference is that the leader can move forward knowing they have addressed the cause, not simply reacted to the symptom.
Strengths-based leadership adds understanding to accountability.
It helps us move from:
"What's wrong with this person?"
to:
"What's getting in the way of this person performing at their best and what is their responsibility for changing it?"
That is a much stronger performance conversation.
Look Behind the Performance
One of the greatest responsibilities we have as leaders is not simply to evaluate performance.
It is to create the conditions where people can perform.
That requires clarity.
Coaching.
Feedback.
Accountability.
And an understanding that people don't all think, work, communicate, or respond to pressure the same way.
Before you label someone as a poor performer, take the time to look behind the performance.
You may discover a skill gap.
A communication problem.
An unclear expectation.
An overused strength.
A confidence issue.
A genuine accountability problem.
But until you understand what's driving it, you may be solving the wrong problem.
Leadership Reflection
Think about someone on your team whose performance isn't where you need it to be.
What are you seeing and what might you be missing?
Build Stronger Performance Conversations with Foundation 34
At Foundation 34, we help leaders use CliftonStrengths to better understand themselves and the people they lead not as a replacement for performance management, but as a way to make leadership, coaching, and accountability more effective.
When leaders understand the person behind the performance, they can have better conversations, individualize their approach, address problems earlier, and help employees turn their natural talents into stronger performance.
If your organization wants to strengthen its leaders' ability to coach performance, build accountability, and bring out the best in their people, Foundation 34's strengths-based leadership programs, workshops, and coaching can help.
Look beyond the behaviour. Understand what's driving it. Then lead accordingly.
