When an employee is not performing at the required level, the first question leaders need to ask themselves is – “is it a lack of will or a lack of skill?"
Sometimes employees are under performing because they genuinely don’t have the necessary skills to do the job, but other times they have the tools, knowledge and experience – but they lack the will to perform at the required level. As a leader, it is significantly easier to deal with a lack of skill, because with the right support, mentoring and training the employee is likely to meet and/or exceed the requirements of the position.
The bad news is some employees will never improve, but the reason they fail is not their lack of ability or potential – but their lack of willingness to fight. This lack of will is the cancer in the performance management process and irrespective of what support is provided to the employee, they simply don’t have the will to succeed.
For some employees, the reward is simply not worth the effort and for others the consequences of not meeting baseline requirements is not enough of a deterrent. Employers who are struggling with a pattern of behaviour where employees don’t care enough to find the will should reflect on their culture, approach to performance and acceptance of behaviours that are not congruent with their organisation’s values.
