Latest / New Manager Conversations with Fexingo: First 90 Days, Managing Former Peers, and Leadership Basics / How New Managers Can Handle a Direct Report Who Is Underperforming
Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, we've talked a lot about the positive side of taking on a new team, but today I want to get into something that keeps a lot of new managers up at night. It's what happens when one of your direct reports just... isn't performing. And I don't mean a bad week or a missed deadline here and there. I mean a pattern where you're starting to worry that you might have to have the conversation. Luna: Yeah, that's the one nobody puts in the onboarding deck. You get the promotion, you're excited, and then three months in you're staring at a spreadsheet that tells you one of your people is consistently underdelivering. Lucas: Exactly. And the instinct for a lot of new managers, especially if they were promoted from within, is to wait it out. You think, maybe it's just a rough patch, maybe they're dealing with something at home, maybe I'm being too harsh. But waiting usually makes it worse, both for the team and for the person. Lucas: Let me set up a concrete example. Say you're managing a product manager who has missed three consecutive sprint deadlines. The first time, you let it slide with a gentle nudge. The second time, you have a more serious chat. The third time, you realize you're now part of the problem if you don't address it directly. Luna: And the tricky part is figuring out why. Are they just lazy, or are they drowning? Those are two very different fixes. Lucas: Right, and that's where the skill versus will framework comes in. You have to diagnose whether the issue is a capability gap or a motivation gap. It's not always obvious, and sometimes it's a mix of both. But if you don't know which one you're dealing with, you can't pick the right intervention. Lucas: So the first step is to gather evidence. Not in a gotcha way, but to understand the pattern. Look at their output over the past few months, note the specific deliverables that were late or below expectations, and also note any feedback from colleagues or clients. You want to go into the conversation with facts, not feelings. Luna: That makes sense. But for a new manager, especially if you've inherited the team, it can be hard to tell if you're being fair. You don't have that historical context yet. Lucas: It's a real concern. And one way to handle it is to also ask the person for their own self-assessment before the meeting. Have them rate their performance on the same projects, and ask what obstacles they're facing. That can reveal a skill issue they haven't voiced, like they don't know how to use a tool or they're unclear on the requirements. Lucas: I heard about an engineering manager who did this, and it turned out the 'underperformer' was actually spending fifteen hours a week on manual testing because no one had shown them the automation suite. The manager assumed it was laziness, but it was pure skill gap. Luna: Oh, that's a great story. And it makes you wonder how often we jump to the wrong conclusion because we didn't ask. Lucas: So once you have that information, you move to the conversation. And it needs to be direct but respectful. You're not there to punish them; you're there to solve a problem. You want to use the SBI model: situation, behavior, impact. So you'd say, 'In the last three sprints, the deliverables were late by an average of four days. That caused the team to miss our release date and put extra pressure on QA.' Lucas: Then you pause and let them respond. Listen for what they say. Are they making excuses, or are they taking ownership? That tells you a lot about the will component. Luna: And if they do take ownership, then you can work together on a plan. But what if they push back and say it's not their fault? Lucas: That's a red flag, but you still need to stay curious. Maybe they genuinely believe it's not their fault. So you ask for specifics, and you keep the focus on the behavior and the impact, not the person's character. You're not saying 'you're lazy', you're saying 'the deliverables were late.' Lucas: And then you set a clear expectation for improvement. You agree on what good looks like, with a specific timeframe. For example, you might say, 'Over the next two sprints, we need to hit the deadlines. If there's a risk, you need to flag it at least three days in advance so we can adjust.' Luna: And that's where a performance improvement plan often comes in, but it can be informal at first. The key is to document everything, right? Lucas: Absolutely. You want a written summary of the conversation, what you agreed on, and the timeline. That protects both of you. If things improve, great. If not, you have a clear paper trail for HR if you need to escalate. Lucas: And let's be honest, sometimes the person just isn't a fit for the role, and after a fair chance to improve, you have to make the hard call. But that should be a last resort, not the first move. Luna: Yeah, and I think that's where a lot of new managers freeze up. They're afraid of being the bad guy, so they avoid the conversation altogether. Lucas: Right, and that's actually a form of cruelty, because you're letting someone struggle without honest feedback. They might think they're doing fine, and then they're blindsided in a performance review. Better to have the tough conversation early. Luna: I love that framing. And it connects to something you said earlier about diagnosing skill versus will. I remember a case where a sales rep was underperforming, and it turned out they were great at building relationships but terrible at closing. So the manager paired them with a stronger closer, and they both improved. Lucas: That's a perfect example of finding the right intervention. You're not forcing a round peg into a square hole. You're seeing what the person is good at and building around that. Lucas: So before we wrap up, I want to mention something that's been on my mind. We make this show for you, and we don't have any ads. It's funded entirely by a small group of listeners who chip in through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's it. If you've gotten some value out of the episodes, maybe think about throwing a couple bucks that way. It helps us keep doing this. Luna: Yeah, it really does. And it's not a big ask, but it makes a difference. We're grateful for everyone who supports the show. Lucas: Now, back to underperformers. One thing I want to stress is the importance of following up. After you set that plan, you can't just forget about it. You need to check in regularly, say every week or every other week, not to micromanage, but to support progress. Lucas: And if you see improvement, even small steps, acknowledge it. People need positive reinforcement. If you only talk about problems, you'll crush their motivation even further. Luna: And what about the rest of the team? If they see you giving someone a free pass, that can hurt team morale. Lucas: That's a good point. You need to be transparent without throwing the person under the bus. You might say, 'We're working on some performance improvements with a team member, and I appreciate your patience.' You don't have to share details, but you can acknowledge that you're aware and handling it. Lucas: Ultimately, the goal is to give the person every opportunity to succeed. And if they do, you've earned their trust and respect. If they don't, you've done your due diligence, and you can make the hard decision with a clear conscience. Luna: So what's the one thing you'd tell a new manager who's facing this for the first time? Lucas: Don't wait. Start the conversation early, with compassion and data, and you'll be amazed at how often things turn around. The worst thing you can do is hope it goes away, because it won't.