Stop Managing Underperformance: Why Your Managers Need to Start Coaching Their Average Performers
TL;DR:
Managing underperformance soaks up a lot of a manager's time, while the solid people in the middle of the team barely get a real conversation. That middle group is where the biggest lift is waiting. Give your managers a coach approach they can use in everyday conversations, and you'll lift engagement and hold on to the good people you can't afford to lose.
Here's the thing about managing underperformance: it eats up heaps of a manager's time and energy. Meanwhile, the solid, reliable people who make up most of your team hardly get a real conversation at all.
They're not causing problems, so nobody's asking them where they want to grow. And that's a missed opportunity for engagement, retention and performance that's sitting right under your nose.
In this post, you'll learn why your average performers are so often overlooked, why lifting them makes such a big difference, and what a coach approach looks like in the conversations your managers are already having.
Key Takeaways
Managing underperformance takes up a lot of time, but your average performers are where the biggest lift is.
Check where each person sits before you start a development conversation. Development doesn't always mean promotion.
Use a simple coach approach, like the GROW framework, to help people find their own next step.
Swap the once-a-year review for short, regular check-ins with everyone in the team.
Give managers real time to practise coaching conversations, not just learn the theory.
Why your average performers get overlooked
Most managers default to one of two modes. They either solve problems for people, or they leave them alone if nothing's obviously wrong. Neither is coaching.
Your underperformers get attention because they have to. Your standouts get attention because they're easy to talk to and exciting to develop. Your average performers, the ones who turn up, get the job done and never cause a fuss, often get a quick annual review and not much else. The development plan becomes a tick-box exercise that nobody finds meaningful.
It's not that managers don't care. It's that development conversations are hard. The big one is time. Then there's the worry about whether there's a safe enough space for an honest chat, the fear of "What if I don't have the answer?", and the belief that development always means promotion. It doesn't, and managing that expectation well is half the skill. We've unpacked these in more detail in our post on the 11 obstacles to meaningful development conversations.
Put all that together and it's no surprise the middle of the team gets left to tick along on its own.
Why the middle is where the lift is
Let's start with the basics, because this is where a lot of people get tripped up. A redundancy package in New Zealand isn't one fixed thing. What your people are entitled to depends heavily on their employment agreement. Before anyone is made redundant, employers must follow a fair and proper process, the reasons must be genuine, and they must look at redeployment options first. Affected employees must be given the correct notice. Their final pay includes payment for any unused holidays and any other entitlements owed.
Here's the bit that surprises people. Redundancy compensation, the lump sum most of us picture when we hear "redundancy package", is only an entitlement if it's written into the employment agreement. If it's not in there, there's no set amount the law says you must pay. Every agreement is different, so check yours carefully and get proper employment advice. The redundancy guidance on Employment New Zealand is a good place to start.
On top of the legal side, many organisations add extras. Common ones include extended notice, paid time off for interviews, access to an employee assistance programme and career transition support. None of these is a legal must. All of them make a real difference to how people feel on their way out.
What coaching your average performers looks like on Monday
This isn't about adding another annual review or a fancy new form. It's about giving your managers a coach approach they can use in the regular, everyday conversations they're already having.
A coach approach means asking questions that help someone work things out for themselves, rather than telling them what to do. Something as simple as the GROW framework does the trick. What do you want to get better at? Where are you at right now? What could you try? What's one practical step you'll take this week? It builds ownership, so the change actually sticks.
It also means checking where someone sits before you launch in. Not everyone in the middle wants to grow right now. Some are happy and settled. Some feel uncertain about their future. Some are clear about where they want to go but haven't said it out loud. Each needs a different conversation, and the skill is noticing which one you're in.
And it means little and often. A ten-minute check-in that happens every few weeks will do more than a big conversation once a year. Nothing should come as a surprise.
Here's the catch. Most managers have never been shown how to do this, let alone had time to practise. They might have heard about coaching in a leadership programme, but as we've written before, most leadership programmes miss these practical skills. That's why practice matters so much. Our coaching skills for managers programme is short, sharp and purpose-built, with real frameworks your managers can use on Monday morning.
Want your managers coaching the whole team, not just firefighting?
We'd love to help. Get in touch to find out more or book an intro chat.