Leadership advice · Underperformance and hard calls
How engineering leaders handle underperformance
Managing underperformers, resolving conflict, and the decisions that never get easier.
Interviews
Questions we asked
Asked on camera at our meetups. Where more than one leader answered, the answers are side by side. Transcripts are lightly edited for reading.
How do you manage underperforming individuals?
“First, come from a place of curiosity. Maybe something is going on with their life. … [But] we also need to set boundaries.”
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From my personal experience managing underperforming individuals: first, you have to define the metric of the expected performance, right? Then, based on that metric, if I see that this person isn't performing to expectations that were well communicated, I need to have a one-on-one with them. Ideally it's biweekly, but I don't have to wait for that one-on-one. When I see they're not performing according to expectations, I meet with them and tell them.
First, come from a place of curiosity. Maybe something is going on with their life. Maybe something is bothering them and affecting their performance. In that case, we want to have empathy. But we also need to set boundaries, and some leeway, because we are here to perform, right? We're not a family; we are a team, and we have deliveries to reach. So really just have an honest talk with them. Give them a timeline to see changes in their performance, and if they don't reach it, deliver the decision that we have to let the person go. But as much as possible, be present, coach the individual, and provide the support that they need.
Can you describe your approach to conflict resolution within your team?
“Before you jump into conclusion, you need to establish first the communication with the people that you are trying to understand.”
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When you say conflict resolution, there are two steps that I always do. The first one is empathy. Before you jump into conclusion, you need to establish first the communication with the people that you are trying to understand. And then, when you understand what the problem is and where they are coming from, you need to make an agreement in the middle, if you can both meet halfway. Most of the time, it works. But if not, well, I guess that's a different story.
Takes
Short takes
Clips edited down to the answer, labelled with what they're about.
Take · On underperforming team members
We just discussed [this] literally with the group here at eHeads 14. So I suggest you come.
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We just discussed this literally with the group here at eHeads 14. So I suggest you come. I took three main takeaways for underperforming team members.
The first one is to get upward communication moving: from the underperforming team member towards you. Ask them what's going on. Are you dealing with something personal? Something financial? What do you need? Do you need mentoring?
The second is that you also have to get downward communication moving: from the company. What can the company do? How do you champion their case to the rest of the company? Let's get mentoring for this. Let's get training. Maybe they're struggling with their roles. That's something the company can help with, and you can help champion that cause.
The third thing is to keep things actionable. If you nail down exactly why they're underperforming, say there are three things they have to improve on, take an actionable point for each. Let's say we meet every week. This time next week, I want you to do X, Y, Z that addresses one of those three points. The next week, we address the second one. The next week, the third. They get an actionable plan they can take away and work on themselves.
Take · On the hardest decisions a manager makes
As a manager and as a leader of that organization, you have to make the right decisions. And the right decisions are not always the easy decisions.
Rosselle MabungaTech Manager, KodeAcross · eHeads 11Read the full transcript
I think the most difficult decision, and it never gets easier, is when you realize that you have to let go of a team member. It won't be fair to keep that person in the team if it's not working out. And it's difficult, because this person may have been working with you since you started the project, so there's already an emotional bond. But as a manager and as a leader of that organization, you have to make the right decisions. And the right decisions are not always the easy decisions.
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