Turning a B employee into an A employee

If you are a workplace leader, you very likely have at least one employee you wish would turn it up a notch. They seem like they have the potential to excel, but something is just not clicking, and they are turning in a steady B performance.

In the right situation, you might see change if you move the person to a different role or switch up their duties a bit. This is reserved for when you think it is the work itself that is causing them to simply go through the motions. For instance, you might have someone training others when you think their real passion is doing the actual work, or vice versa. Teaching is not a passion for some, but it is a huge passion for others.

The key thing here is using your judgment about the person based on your discussions with them and your observations of their work. Leadership trainer Linton Sellen often asks the question: “Who knows better when the student pilot is ready to solo, the student or the instructor?” The answer of course is the instructor. We are not great judges of our own capabilities. It is easier for us to see the strengths and weaknesses of our staff than it is for them to see if for themselves. That is why coaching is so important, both for us and for them.

So, don’t ignore your spidey senses if they start telling you that someone might thrive if you change up their role. This just might be the key to solving the problem. If you have been coaching properly, you have already made it clear to the person that their performance is not what you want it to be. This change in roles can be introduced as a remedy.

There is a ton of research out there pointing to the high correlation between job performance and the person’s feeling that they are good at what they do. If you feel the B performance is happening because the person does not really like the work, you must act. Either move them or get them out of the organization.

We have changed people’s duties many times at IBEX Payroll and it has succeeded more than it has failed. When you have a great person who you feel is worth it, this approach can be the deciding factor in elevating their performance and job satisfaction.

Can anyone do anything?

Great managers watch like hawks

IBEX Payroll extends our profound respect and immeasurable gratitude to all the ancestors and keepers of the land on whose traditional territories our work takes place. We acknowledge that we are on Treaty 1 territory, the traditional gathering place of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene people and the traditional homeland of the Métis people. This land is sacred, historical, and significant.

Every time we acknowledge this truth, we have an invitation and an opportunity to reflect on the wrongs of the past, what we do in the present, and what we can do to continually honour the people whose lands and water we benefit from today.

This statement only acts as a first step in honouring the land we reside on and its peoples, and must be paired with education, understanding and informed action.