You have an employee who isn’t performing. Where do you start? One of the first questions that should be asked is if the deficiency is one born of a lack of skill or from a lack of will. Is there something that can be taught to help bring performance in line? Or after teaching them, are they displaying a lack of desire to perform tasks in a way you want them to?
Which would you rather have?
A Matter of Skill
A matter of skill revolves around knowledge and capability to perform the requirements. A skill deficiency may be a “hard skill” – the ability to perform a series of tasks. These may be computer skills, application knowledge, machinery working, understanding of signs and signals, or ability to translate from one form to another. It may be a “soft skill.” These could be displaying empathy, understanding word choices, controlling a situation, the ability to change approach depending on the audience.
Your challenge as a leader is determining why the skill is lacking. Has your team member had appropriate exposure to training for the desired skill? Have they had opportunities to practice? How are the skills aligned with the person? Teaching a hard skill to a technical skill may be relatively easy. Someone may be a natural listener, so teaching empathy is a smaller stretch than teaching them how to use a custom computer application. Developing leadership qualities may be more difficult in someone extremely introverted but highly analytical. However, do not dismiss your team members because of these natural inclinations! Sometimes people can become highly effective going against their “type” when they have been given adequate training and support.
A Matter of Will
A lack of will is a different matter. An employee may have proven they possess the skills required and may in fact have a mastery of the functions. This same employee may not display the desire to perform. In this case, a leader is faced with a different quandary. You must determine if the lack of will comes from something that can be overcome.
The reasons behind a lack of will may not be readily identifiable.
- Perhaps they are disgruntled with a change in management or function.
- Maybe they are facing burn-out after doing the job for a long period.
- They may have started viewing their position poorly and only do the minimum to not be dismissed – the bane of disengagement.
- Occasionally an employee is actively and willfully not performing in an attempt to undermine or force management into action.
Each of these example scenarios may be resolved, but each requires a different management tactic to address, and you must determine how far you are willing to go to correct a matter of will.
Other Factors & Perception Challenges
Before jumping directly into corrective coaching, you must also determine if there are other factors or if perception is clouding judgement. If you have an employee with a perceived lack of will – are they lacking will to do specific tasks, or do they simply view the priorities and responsibilities of the position differently than you and are placing focus elsewhere? When faced with a skill challenge – are they lacking the desired skill, or is the application of that skill leading them to different results than you were expecting to see? In these cases, where are you better served? Do you guide and correct (or replace) to get to your desired outcome, or do you trust in your employee and look for the unexpected opportunities that they may show you?
Determining the Path Forward
There is not always a clear-cut answer the question of how and when to correct. There is a blend of factors surrounding the nature of the role, the seniority of the person, the creativity allowed, the amount of risk involved in not following prescribed notions. Unfortunately, not all people and situations fall so neatly into black and white categories. Perhaps a person is lacking skill in a particular area and will in another. Maybe they are lacking skill because they are lacking will – or vice versa. Or I have had people with both immense skill and will, but they were better fits for other parts of the organization than my own. This last becomes one of the more challenging to address… a poor job fit does not mean a poor employee.
So, we come back again to the basic question originally posed… would you rather have a lack of skill or a lack of will?
We will dive further into tactics to coach for skill deficiencies and will deficiencies in later posts. For now, think on a team member who you feel isn’t meeting your standards, and contemplate the questions above. Can you identify if they are struggling with a skill or a will issue? Looking beyond the surface, are there other factors that you can help address? As a leader, think on the “why” behind a challenge so you can help someone reach their potential.
