September FAQ - Top Performer Slow Down
One Friday each month I dedicate the post to looking at some questions I have heard recently from developing leaders. Sharing those questions and my thoughts for them is a way for me to spread the information to as many leaders and future leaders as possible. If you have a question about leadership, or just a situation you would like some additional insight on, please email me at Effective Retail Leader. Let’s take a look at this week’s question.
My top performer has slowed down and is no longer a stand out on the team. How can I reenergize him to perform at the same level he was before?
Excellent question. There are always reasons for sudden or even gradual performance changes. When it involves one of our top performers, it is even more concerning. What has changed? What is different for them or in the environment? Uncovering those concerns can lead to many positive outcomes, but especially for your best team members. Here are a few ideas of what you can do to get a better understanding of what is happening for your top performer.
Reflect First
Before you sit down with your associate, take a few moments to work through what it was that set that individual apart from others initially. What behaviors were they exhibiting that made them a top performer? Have those behaviors changed? If so, how? It will be important to have those specifics available for when you speak to the associate. Consider how their performance has been to other team members? Has this individual slipped backward, or have the others leaped forward? It is possible that someone that stood out before has been standing still and everyone else caught up, and you are just now noticing that. It does happen, and it too will be an important element for the discussion you have.
Talk to them
Set up some time to discuss your observations with the individual. Ensure you position this as a learning session, perhaps related to their development. Your goal initially is to gain an understanding of what is happening through their lens. This is not about trying to restore them to top performer status immediately. Early questions should center around how they are doing. How do they feel things are going? Has anything changed recently in the store that they are concerned about?This will be a purely situational conversation, and you will need to listen intently and with empathy, especially if they begin to reveal concerns or issues - inside or outside of the store. Be prepared for some of the feedback they may provide about you or the environment you are responsible for. Your top performer may have burned out carrying the rest of the team. You will need to address that for them. One option may be to begin that process by asking for their feedback on how that could happen.If the conversation does not lead to specific issues on either side, you will need to be honest with them about how you are viewing their performance. This realization may prompt them to open up about other issues that are impacting them. Reinforce how important they are to you both in what they contribute in all aspects. This is an opportunity to be very specific about what it was that made them a stand out an employee before. It is a form of recognition, but it must also lay out the current performance and what your expectations are going forward.
Pledge new support
Position yourself so you are there to assist them in reaching their full potential. Depending on how they have reacted to the conversation above, this may be an excellent opportunity to review their Individual Development Plan. From there, you can update the next steps and how you will be personally involved. Commit yourself for some time to work more closely with them. You want them to know that you are on their side. Avoid making them feel as though they have gone from top performer to average, and now you are punishing them for simply performing similar to anyone else. You want to restore their confidence and knowledge that they are an important part of the team, and they have a bright future if they can perform as they were in the past.
One other consideration
As I mentioned above, you will need to prepare yourself for their feedback about your leadership and the environment you create within your location. You may be the problem. This can be an especially challenging situation to face and even harder to hear from someone you have a lot of respect for. It is critical that you do not get defensive. If they have directly pointed the issue back at you, ask for more specifics about why they feel the way they do. Probe for as much information as you can and listen. This may not be the time to respond or provide reasons. Let them be heard fully. You may have to schedule a follow-up session to address the concerns. At that time, you can present your actions back to the individual on how you can make adjustments that you feel are warranted based on the situation. It also may be an opportunity to create a development session to explain why you have made some of the decisions you have made. Perhaps they do not see the larger picture of where you are working towards in their current position. Either way, continuing dialogue about the situation will be better than allowing it to go unacknowledged.No one ever likes to see one of their top-performing team members slide backward or worse yet, fail. When we begin to notice signs that something isn’t right, we must act to understand what is troubling them and work to find solutions. There can be a host of issues that have created the current situation and performance; learning about them is the essential first step. Addressing it head-on will ensure that you continue to treat them as a key member of the team and likely will shift them back into high gear.Join other retail leaders in continuing their development journey with Effective Retail Leader.com. SUBSCRIBE today to receive FREE leadership tips directly to your inbox and monthly newsletters that provide many tools to help further develop your leadership skills all at no cost. JOIN NOW!No spam ever - just leadership goodness.