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Q: What do
you do about an employee whose performance has declined
from stellar to mediocre? I have tried talking to this
person, but six months have passed with no improvement in
results, and he is beginning to affect the team. Is it
time to let him go? Anonymous,
Nairobi,
Kenya
A: Six
months of warning seems a little brief for a person who
once turned in stellar results, but still, we’d have to
answer yes to your question.
You’re
onto one of the incontrovertible facts of organizational
life. It is very hard to reverse the course of a
slider—and that’s what you have, a high achiever who has
checked out—before they begin to suck the team into their
negative energy field and drag it down with their poor
example.
Indeed,
we’ve seen it time and time again: sliders pollute.
We’re not
suggesting, of course, that managers dismiss all their
sliders at dawn. Sometimes high performers do hit a wall
and need time to regroup.
They might
be working through a personal crisis, like sickness or a
divorce. Or they might be bored, and sincerely need your
help finding more challenge within their jobs.
But
temporary sliders are the exception. Typically, these
former achievers enter in their descent for the long haul.
And the
reason is quite simple: they think they can. That is, they
perceive their previous glory protects them. And often,
they’re not wrong.
Many
organizations do have employees that are sacred cows: the
scientist who, 15 years back, discovered the breakthrough
compound upon which the company is built; the art director
who once won the industry’s biggest creative award.
There’s
the slider whose protective armor is the company’s largest
client, which loves him for a terrific idea he had five
years ago, and the slider whose claim to fame is that she
was there, taking customer orders and volunteering for
midnight pizza runs, when the company was first started in
a garage.
Whatever
the reason, sliders usually begin their progression
imperceptibly. One day, they start contributing a little
less and usually start showing up a little less, too.
Nothing happens—there may be a few hushed conversations,
but no real consequences—and so the downward spiral
continues.
Eventually, the sliders’ underperformance and the
organization’s lack of reaction become embedded, and the
sliders land in an awkward bubble of silence and
acceptance.
The
problem with this dynamic, of course, is that sliders are
often organizational heroes, especially to old-timers, and
their behavior sets the tone. For newer employees, who
aren’t as familiar with a slider’s past glories, the
impact can be even more damaging.
Sliders
show them that the organization permits employees who are
do-nothings. Either way, a slider’s mood and
underperformance can really change the pace and rhythm of
a business. They round off the edge you need to win.
It doesn’t
sound like you’re there yet with your slider, but chances
are you will be before long. So, yes, let him go now so he
can find an organization that re-energizes him.
And know
that in doing so, you’re sending a critical message to the
organization. When it comes to performance, the past may
be nice to recall, but nothing matters like the present.
Q: This
month, after nine years of education in the United States,
I return to my family company, where my father has asked
me to lead a major turnaround. Most of the upper
management team remembers me as a boy of 17. What advice
can you give me? Alister Aranha,
Dubai,
United Arab Emirates
A: First
and foremost, recognize that the management team that
remembers you “as a boy” knows full well that you are an
adult now—and you’re back to take over.
Indeed,
they’ve been expecting your return for a long time. And
most of them, if not all, are ready to fall into line.
For that,
perhaps some credit goes to your hierarchical culture. But
even if you weren’t returning to the
Middle East, employees at most family companies know the score. You’re the boss now.
Our
advice: do not go heavy on establishing your authority.
Instead, spend your time listening to your new team,
demonstrating how eager you are to hear their perspectives
and engage their intellect.
Let them
know you are truly open to new ideas. Show them you are
not a know-it-all, but a learn-it-all.
Look, if
you’re going to turn your company around in the next few
years, your new job is really very straightforward.
You’ve got
your people’s bodies. Now win their hearts and minds.
*****
Jack
and Suzy Welch are the authors of the international
bestseller Winning (Collins). Their latest book is
Winning: The Answers: Confronting 74 of the Toughest
Questions in Business Today (Collins). They are eager to
hear about your career dilemmas and challenges at work and
look forward to answering your questions in future
columns. You can e-mail them questions at winning@nytimes.com.
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