How to Coach an Underperforming Employee the Right Way

Do you have someone on your team who just isn’t hitting the mark? Maybe they’re missing deadlines, delivering subpar work, or just seem disengaged.

Whatever the reason, the idea of sitting down to address it is giving you mild anxiety, I mean nobody loves these difficult conversations, right?

Well, if we adjust our thinking and our approach from this is a difficult conversation to this is an important one, and one that ultimately benefits our team member, it can have a real positive impact on the experience and outcome for both of you.

It also helps to understand that the intent of these meetings and addressing any performance issues is not to reprimand, punish, or rub their nose in their mistakes, it’s to work with them to identify the root cause, find a solution, and support them while they get back in fighting shape.

It’s a process that, when done right, can transform a struggling employee into a stronger, more capable team member. Coaching your team members is a big piece of the leadership puzzle and these meetings are significant to the success of each individual on your team.

In this post, I’ll walk you through the steps and strategies to coach your team member to success!

If you need a little refresher, read How to Approach Difficult Conversations.

Identify the Root Cause

Before you can work on resolving any issues, you need to know what’s actually happening for your employee. Because you can’t fix the problem if you don’t know what’s causing it.

It could be...

• Personal problems: The impact of personal problems like divorce, health, or family issues can have a substantial impact on a person’s performance.
• Lack of understanding or training: Likely to be the cause after considerable change or for a newer employee.
• Lack of tools and resources: Sometimes it could be they lack the literal tools to their job (think tech or tools) or other resources (like tech support or staffing levels).
• Workload, burnout, and/or disengagement: It may be an employee is completely overwhelmed by a heavy workload or just lost their passion.

And now you may be wondering “Well how do we know what the root cause is?” Well, we’re going to ask them.

This may sound like:

“Lately I’ve noticed you’ve been [insert specific issue]. What do you think has contributed to this situation?

Or “I’ve noticed [insert specific issue] recently—can you tell me what’s been going on?”

Pro Tip

If you are having regular one on one meetings with your team then you may be able to detect some of these issues early and intervene before they have a bigger impact.

Have a Direct & Honest Conversation

When you start and throughout the conversation use simple, but direct language to address the concerns and be very mindful of your tone. Focus on the behaviour or action and why you’re brining it to their attention.

Go in with the intent to listen, offer support, and work together to find a solution that works for both of you.

The intent of this initial conversation is to really understand what’s going on. You will use those stellar active listening skills you have to hear their perspective and get to the root cause. You are not listening to blame, punish, or voice your frustrations. You are there to create a space where the person feels comfortable opening up about what’s going on so you can work together to find a solution.

This may sound like:

Employee: “I just haven’t been able to keep up with all the changes in the process.”

You: “Can you help me understand which part of the process is causing the most trouble? That way we can focus on what’s making it harder for you.”

Want more help starting the conversation?

Check out this guide: 25 Helpful Phrases for Difficult Conversations

Set Clear Expectations

Clarity at this point is crucial. You need to clearly define how they are underperforming, why it’s an issue, and what needs to happen moving forward.

When you set clear expectations, you eliminate confusion or any grey area and provide a clear, direct path forward. Without clarity, they may not understand what they need to do to improve and continue to underperform.

Use the SMART goal method if appropriate and pull in any supporting documents you may have (policies, procedures, training manuals, etc.).

Having the how, why, and what clearly established will not only highlight what needs to happen to improve but will also help with identifying what support is needed and establish accountability for the team member.

This may sound like

“For the next two weeks, the priority is [insert priority]. Other tasks can wait unless they’re urgent. Focus your energy there, and we’ll reassess in one week.”

Offer Support and Resources

Once you have clearly established what needs to happen to improve and your expectations moving forward, you can then figure out what support is needed. Remember the intent of these meetings and coaching underperforming employees is not to punish or reprimand, but to support them while they get their performance back on track.

In some cases, particularly when someone is dealing with a personal or health issue, support might look like giving them time off to deal with their situation or offer them a reduced/adjusted schedule.

In most cases, when it comes to providing support, you will want to ensure it is time bound. Meaning you agree to additional training, time off, or an adjusted workload for a specific timeframe and then you’ll re-evaluate the situation.

This may sound like

“I want to make sure you have everything you need to succeed. If there are any tools, training, or resources that could help, let me know and I’ll make them available to you.”

Or

“Let’s set up a weekly check-in to go over your progress and discuss any challenges you’re facing. That way, we can address things early and adjust as needed.”

Follow Up and Give Regular Feedback

When you are dealing with these types of situations, it is almost never a one and done scenario. Meaning you are looking at having at least a couple meetings to discuss the situation, check-in on how they are doing, highlight any improvements they’re making, and re-evaluate the support and resources as needed.

You may need to schedule check-ins specific to the performance issues the individual is having outside your regular one-on-one meetings.

This may sound like

“As we go through this, I’ll provide feedback along the way so you know what’s working well and where there’s room for improvement. That way, we can make adjustments in real-time.”

Be Honest About Consequences

It is important that you are very upfront about the consequences, whether this means continued performance issues can affect their team, their position, their chances of a raise or bonus, or it can affect client/customer relationships, or in the worst case scenario it can lead to termination.

This may sound like

“If we can’t meet the [insert target] by the Friday deadline, it’ll delay the entire project and potentially impact the client relationship. It’s really important we stay on track with this timeline.”

Or

“If your performance doesn’t improve by X date, it may affect your eligibility for future projects or promotions. I want to help you succeed, but we need to see consistent improvement in these areas.”

A Note on Terminations - In an effort to ensue you set the right tone and make sure the employee feels supported, I strongly suggest you do not bring up termination in the initial meetings. It’s not exactly what I would call an effective motivator.

I have worked with many managers in the past who have just gone through the motions of crossing their t’s and dotted their i’s, so in the end they can just terminate the employee for cause or with a ‘clean conscious’ and I will say, most employees see right through this strategy.

While there are times when after a genuine attempt to improve performance from both sides has been made, it doesn’t work out and ultimately ends in termination.

But termination is a whole other blog post.

I know coaching an employee through performance issues can seem like one of the harder, more frustrating parts of our role as leader, but it can also be one of the more rewarding. By taking the time to understand the situation and work with your team member to improve their performance, you’re investing in their success, your team’s success, and your own skills as a leader.

As you grow into your role as a leader, these coaching moments will become second nature—and you’ll be the one your team turns to when they’re struggling and need support. So, the next time you face an underperforming employee, don’t shy away from the conversation. Tap into your growth mindset and see it as an opportunity to strengthen your leadership skills and help your team thrive.

Have you coached an underperformer before? Share your experience or tips in the comments!

Happy Leading!

Emily