Throughout my long career, possibly one thing has stood out above all others - the willingness of managers to allow poor performance to go on too long. Sometimes it is not the work performance but the toxicity that is the problem. The reasons for allowing it to continue are numerous.
- “He/she is a difficult personality”
- “They are going through a tough time at home”
- “I don’t have the energy right now”
- “I have more pressing issues to deal with”
- “I don’t want to face a personal grievance”
- “I thought they had improved”
- “It takes too long to go through a competency framework”.
Leaders in smaller organisations or schools typically don’t have a dedicated HR department and they lack the confidence to address or sustain an intervention. The problem with allowing poor performance or behaviour to go unaddressed is that it impacts so negatively on your organisation. It affects your reputation in the community, your ability to keep good workers (they dislike poor performers who they have to cover for), impacts negatively on the bottom line - whether that is financial or related to workplace goals or student achievement.
The first step is to identify what your bottom line is. What are you willing to accept? What does that say about your leadership? The second step is to develop a plan and timeline. If you are unsure, get advice. Don’t procrastinate.