People & Leadership
Most owners wait too long to say that the work is not good enough
Somebody misses deadlines, makes the same mistake again, or does the minimum. The owner stays quiet for months, hoping it improves, until one day patience runs out and the first real conversation is also a threat. This session is about the stretch before that day: working out whether the problem is skill, clarity, motivation or something outside work, saying it plainly, giving the person a fair chance to improve, and knowing when the situation needs professional advice.
Explore this page6 sections
Silence feels kind, but it is usually the unfair option.
In a small business, an owner often knows within weeks that somebody is struggling, and says nothing because the person is likeable, because hiring again is a nuisance, or because the owner does not want a confrontation. The employee, meanwhile, may have no idea there is a problem. When it finally comes out, it arrives as a surprise, and surprise is what makes these situations bitter.
A fair process is mostly ordinary good management done earlier: expectations that were clear, feedback that was timely, a real chance to improve, and a record of what was said. This session works through that process, and is honest about the point at which an owner should stop improvising and ask a professional.
A fair way through a performance problem
35 topics across 7 areas. Seven steps, from noticing to deciding.
Name the GapStart with what is different from what you expected.5
- Write down what the person was expected to do
- Write down what actually happened, with dates and examples
- Separate facts from impressions such as attitude or commitment
- Ask whether other people in the same role meet the expectation
- Be sure the expectation was ever stated, not merely assumed
Find the Likely CauseDifferent causes need different responses.5
You will not know the cause until you ask. The first conversation is partly for listening.
- Unclear expectations: the person did not know what good looked like
- Missing skill: they were never trained for this part of the job
- Missing support: tools, information or authority were not there
- Low motivation: the work or the workplace has stopped engaging them
- Personal circumstances: health, family or money worries outside work
The First ConversationPrivate, specific and early.5
- Choose a private time, not a busy hour or a public place
- Describe the specific examples before offering any conclusion
- Say what you expected and why it matters to the business
- Ask for their view, and listen to the whole answer
- End with what each of you will do next, and a date to meet again
A Written Improvement PlanOne page that both people can read.5
- Two or three specific expectations, not a general demand to do better
- What help you will give: training, a checklist, a weekly review
- What good looks like at each review date
- A realistic period, with review dates agreed in advance
- A copy given to the employee, and one kept in their file
Keeping RecordsSimple, factual and dated.5
- A short note after each conversation: date, what was discussed, what was agreed
- Examples recorded as facts, not as opinions about character
- Anything the employee said about the cause, written as they said it
- Records of the support you gave, not only of the failures
- Notes kept privately and shared only with people who need them
When to Pause and Take AdviceSome decisions should not be made alone.5
Rules on notice, process and pay on exit depend on the contract, the role, the size of the business and the state. Check your appointment letter and the current rules, and speak to a lawyer or HR professional before acting.
- Before ending employment for performance, especially after probation is over
- When the employee raises illness, pregnancy, a complaint or a grievance
- When your appointment letter or contract says something specific about notice or process
- When you are unsure how the labour codes apply to this role in your business
- When the person has a record of complaints about you or your manager
When It Does Not ImproveEnding well still matters.5
- Looking honestly at whether the role or the fit is the real problem
- Considering a different role, if one exists and makes sense
- Following the process in the letter, with advice where needed
- Telling the person directly, with respect, and in private
- A clear handover and a calm last week for the rest of the team
Try this week
- Write down the three most important things one team member is expected to do
- Check whether they would describe those same three things
- Note one recent example of work that met the standard and one that did not
- Book a fifteen-minute private conversation, framed around the examples
Hypothetical example, for discussion
- A shop owner is unhappy that a billing assistant makes frequent entry errors
- In conversation it emerges that nobody trained the assistant on the new billing software
- The plan is a one-page checklist, two short practice sessions and a review in three weeks
- The owner learns the problem was clarity and training, not attitude
- Had the cause been different, the next step would also have been different
How the session runs
A practitioner or an experienced owner walks through the seven steps with realistic situations. Participants then draft a one-page improvement plan for a situation of their own, with the names removed, and practise the opening two minutes of the first conversation in pairs. Nothing in the session is legal advice. Anything that may end in a dismissal should be checked with a lawyer or HR professional first.
What your students leave with
- A way to separate a clarity problem from a skill, will or personal problem
- A structure for a first performance conversation that is direct and calm
- A one-page improvement plan with specific expectations and review dates
- A habit of simple, dated notes that would stand up to a second reading
- A clear sense of the points where they should pause and take advice
- A way to end a working relationship respectfully when improvement does not come
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
Fairness starts with saying it early and saying it clearly.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.