4 Reasons for Poor Performance at Work

As leaders, we can probably all think back to a time where we’ve struggled with an employee who is simply not pulling their weight.

Maybe they’ve missed an important deadline or target, maybe they’ve started showing up for work late, or maybe they’re just bringing a negative energy to the team.

Poor performance can manifest itself in a number of different ways, but surprisingly there are some very common, universal reasons for underperforming team members.

In this article, I’ll give you an understanding of the four most common triggers for poor performance so that you can identify these next time you’re dealing with a difficult employee.

Reason One: A lack of knowledge

How can you as a leader expect someone your team to perform if they haven’t been empowered with the knowledge they need to do so?

When it comes to giving your employees the knowledge they need there are three key aspects:

1. Training
2. Induction
3. Onboarding

Reason Two: Skills

Skills are the second reason for poor performance. Skills are developed through the wisdom of experience. As a leader, you need to think about whether you have given your employees the opportunity to put their knowledge into practice? Have they been given they need through coaching, feedback, and mentoring to learn and grow?

Reason Three: Tools

Tools are the physical enablers that leverage a person’s knowledge and skills. A lack of tools can actually inhibit a highly skilled person from being a good performer. Think about, whether your people have the hardware they need, the resources they need, the access they need, and the information required in order to perform at their best?

Reason Four: Desire

Sometimes, even though an employee may have the capability to perform in the role, they may simply be disengaged and not have the desire to do so.

A common reason for disengagement is when an employee becomes disenfranchised. While they have started out as an engaged employee, something might have changed along the way, since the person has been working in this role in this team.

There are many reasons for this, so avoid jumping to conclusions. It could be a lack of connection to the vision, a personal reason or boredom in their current role that’s impacting their ability to enjoy working in this role anymore.

Ultimately, as a leader, it is your role to take ownership if your team is underperforming.

So if you have a team member currently who isn’t performing at their best, act with empathy, and think seriously about what you could do to help them grow.

If you want to dive further into the 4 Reasons For Poor Performance (and more importantly, how to overcome them), get access to our FREE short course here.