Managing Underperformance

🧱 How do you build accountability? Most people ask this hoping for one thing. More pressure. That’s usually the wrong lever. 🧠 The biggest misunderstanding about accountability Accountability is often treated like a personality trait. They’re accountable. They’re not accountable. Research disagrees. Organizational psychology says that accountability is a structural outcome, not a moral one. When responsibility, authority, and consequences are misaligned, accountability collapses, no matter how capable the person is. You don’t fix accountability with speeches. You fix it with design. 👀 Why accountability fails in organizations Accountability breaks when people are: • responsible for outcomes they can’t influence • measured on goals they can’t control • punished for decisions they weren’t allowed to make That’s not a performance issue. That’s a setup. Research on role clarity reveals that ambiguous decision rights are one of the strongest predictors of avoidance behavior. People don’t dodge accountability. They dodge unfair risk. 😂 The funny part everyone recognizes Every leader has heard this sentence: “I’m accountable, but…” That “but” tells you everything. It usually means: • approvals were unclear • priorities conflicted • authority stopped halfway Accountability without authority turns into reporting. Not ownership. ⚠️ Why leaders accidentally undermine accountability Leaders often say they want ownership. Then they: • override decisions late • reopen settled calls • add surprise stakeholders • change success criteria midstream Research reveals that inconsistent reinforcement destroys accountability faster than lack of incentives. People learn quickly. Owning decisions is risky. Deferring them is safer. 🏗️ What strong leaders do differently Strong leaders build accountability upstream. They: • assign a single decision owner • define what authority comes with the role • clarify acceptable risk before decisions are made • protect owners when outcomes disappoint They understand something simple. Accountability follows clarity. Not pressure. 🔍 The real test If accountability is weak, don’t ask: “Why aren’t people stepping up?” Ask: “What decision rights are unclear?” Because when accountability is designed properly: • people move faster • escalation drops • excuses disappear Not because people changed. But because the system did. That’s how accountability is built. Not by demanding it louder, but by making ownership fair, clear, & survivable. #Leadership #ExecutiveLeadership #Accountability #Management #DecisionMaking #CEO #Business #LeadershipLessons

3 months ago, a CEO called me: "Our sales team isn't hitting numbers. We need better salespeople." I asked to see their CRM data before they fired anyone. What I found shocked them: → Their top performers were closing at 22% → Their "underperformers" were at 7% Seems obvious who to keep, right? But then I looked at their sales ACTIVITIES: The "underperformers" were making - 3X more calls, - sending 2X more emails, - and booking 40% more meetings. The problem wasn't the salespeople. It was the sales PROCESS. The top performers had: - Better territories - Legacy accounts - Easier products - More support The company was about to fire their hungriest, most active salespeople because of how they'd structured their sales operation. Within 60 days of fixing their: - Territory design - Lead distribution - Product packaging - Sales enablement resources The "underperformers" increased close rates to 20% while maintaining their high activity levels. Revenue jumped 134%. As a sales growth consultant, I've seen this pattern repeatedly: Companies blame salespeople when the real problem is how the sales function is built. Your team can't outwork a broken sales system. Look at your bottom performers: If they're putting in the work but not getting results, don't fire them. Fix what's standing in their way. The fastest path to sales growth isn't hiring "better" people. It's removing the barriers preventing your current team from succeeding. P.S. If you need help with your sales, send me a message

Throughout my career I’ve seen team members whose persistent underperformance or bad behaviour was overlooked or, in some cases, they were even given a promotion. The result? When poor performers are rewarded it calls into question your company values, erodes your culture, and causes your best people to leave. ▶️ Have you seen this toxic pattern at work? What was the result?

VP: "Employee A is under-performing. They won't last long." Me: "Did we clearly explain to employee A the expectations for the role?" VP: "Yes, definitely. Very clearly explained" Me: "Have you told them as clearly as you have told me?" VP: "Actually... no. Not that clearly." Me: "Great, let's have a convo. Let's CLEARLY tell them what those expectations are." — They had the conversation and within two weeks, Employee A's performance was on par with everyone else on the team. Why is that? They got the skills suddenly? They got more motivated? They just did not know what good performance looked like. Before making assumptions on why a team member is under-performing. Communicate SUPER effectively the expectations for the role. Clarity creates speed. Speed creates progress. Progress creates momentum. Momentum makes success inevitable. agree?

30 60 90 Day Plans can be a very useful and simple method to drive specific process improvement projects or initiatives I generally use them to plan out specific projects and goals within an overall Continuous Improvement (CI) approach. 💠 I start with identifying a specific issue, and then breaking down the plan into three phases- 30 days, 60 days and 90 days. That's all kept very high-level, as in the visual below. 💠 The first 30 days are usually focused on learning and planning, the next 30 days are focused on implementation and monitoring and the final 30 days are focused on evaluation and optimization. The whole approach is kept in line with Lean Six Sigma thinking: PDSA- Plan Do Study Act and DMAIC- Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control. 💠 Beyond the high-level plan, it's important to get into the nitty gritty details of improvement. This involves setting specific milestones for the end of each of the 30 day periods and agreeing roles and responsibilities with each team member. 💠 It is REALLY important to have systems and processes that support scheduled check-ins. If you are using cycle planning, the team must agree how they will communicate and collaborate. It may be a mixture of daily huddles, weekly team meetings, 1:1's or something else. 💠 It helps to use simple project management tools (e.g. Trello, Asana, or Microsoft Project) to visualize progress and manage tasks. Just make sure that support is high if people are unfamiliar with the technology as technology could be barrier otherwise! 💠 I like to keep it simple and at the end of each 30-day period, review the progress made towards the milestones. Discuss what worked well and what didn’t, and use these insights to improve the next phase. 💠 Remember to recognize all efforts and celebrate the achievements at each milestone. 💠 And when it comes to evaluation, conduct a thorough review of the entire initiative at the end of 90 days. Assess the outcomes against the original objectives. Gather feedback from the team on the process and outcomes to inform future projects. 💠 Really importantly, build in a continuous improvement approach to your process management. Establish a routine of regular feedback, monitoring, and adaptation to continually improve the process. Have you any experience with cycle planning? Have you any tips for people? Leave your thoughts in the comments 🙏 #changemanagement #strategicplanning #goals #continuousimprovement #cycleplanning #projectmanagement

“We need more accountability.” It’s one of the most common things I hear from fast-growing teams. But often, when I dig deeper, here’s what’s really happening: 🔍 Everyone’s working hard, but no one’s quite sure what they own. 🔍 There’s a vision, but no clear line of sight between day-to-day work and company goals. 🔍 Metrics are (loosely) tracked, but they’re not driving daily decisions or behaviours. If you’re scaling a team and want to build real accountability and not just top-down-pressure and panic (yep we've all been there) here’s a quick checklist to audit your org's operating system and make sure you’re actually designing for accountability: 1. Mission clarity at every level Can each individual, team, and division tell you what their purpose is and how it ladders up to the bigger picture? 2. One objective, one owner Use a clear ownership model to assign each key objective to one person. And yes, please, only ONE name. Because when two people own it…we all assume the other one’s got it covered. 3. Make metrics meaningful If you can't baseline it or track progress, IMO it's not a good metric. Make sure you’re balancing outputs (e.g. product shipped) with leading indicators (e.g. customer feedback). 4. Document your ‘how’ Shared rituals, regularly reviewed cadences, and decision-making forums are what create the rhythm of your organisation, and demonstrate how you get things done on the daily. Write them down, make them accessible, and refer to them regularly. 5. Get out of the way This is probably the most important one, but also the hardest - but you can’t expect people to be accountable if you don’t empower them. Provide systems and support, ensure decision-making happens where the information is, and show your team you trust them to get the job done. Accountability shouldn’t be about more pressure or stress. It should be about clearer focus, better alignment, and meaningful support. When every individual knows where they fit in, what they’re responsible for, and how success is measured, that’s when you’ll be able to shift your worries from ownership to opportunities - and that’s where the real joy and momentum is. Sounds dreamy, right? What’s working (or not working) for your team right now when it comes to ownership and clarity? Drop your tips or questions below 👇 #Scaling #companyOperatingSystem #HighPerformanceTeams ------ Hi 👋 I'm Alicia, co-founder of The Future Kind. We collaborate with founders, C-suite and People Ops leaders to design company operating systems that scale. Want to know more? Follow along or DM me, I love to hear form you. 💌

The Promotion Secret Most Professionals Discover Too Late   In over two decades of executive recruitment, I've observed a pattern among professionals who consistently advance in their careers versus those who stagnate despite equal talent and effort.   The difference? Strategic documentation of achievements, what I call a professional "brag book."   This isn't about boasting. It's about recognizing the reality of corporate decision-making: in quarterly review cycles and fast-paced environments, even exceptional work becomes invisible without proper documentation.   Your comprehensive brag book should include:   1️⃣ Achievement Portfolio: Concrete evidence of promotions, awards, successful projects, and initiatives that demonstrate your ability to deliver results   2️⃣ Quantifiable Impact: Specific metrics that translate your efforts into business value; revenue generated, costs reduced, efficiency improved, or risks mitigated   3️⃣ External Validation: Preserved testimonials from clients, acknowledgments from leadership, and formal recognition that provides third-party credibility   4️⃣ Leadership Moments: Documented instances where you identified problems independently and implemented solutions beyond your job description   The professionals I place in competitive positions understand a fundamental truth about organizational dynamics: visibility strategically created through documented evidence consistently outweighs undocumented effort, regardless of quality.   Update your brag book quarterly and bring it with you to performance discussions. Make it impossible for decision-makers to overlook your value when advancement opportunities arise.   Sign up to my newsletter for more corporate insights and truths here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju   #deepalivyas #eliterecruiter #recruiter #recruitment #jobsearch #corporate #careeradvancement #workplacesurvival #selfadvocacy #careerstrategist

I used to get jealous when I saw people brag about their accomplishments on LinkedIn. I understand why they do it, they're just going about it the wrong way. Highlighting your credibility helps build your personal brand which can build your bank account. But what if there was a way to show what you've achieved, while also displaying authenticity and empathy at the same time? There is, and I inadvertently created a three-step process for it. Whenever I share one my wins, I include the following: ‣ The thing I accomplished ‣ Something that occurred behind the scenes ‣ What can you learn from this experience that will help you For example: ‣ I was recently cast in a reality TV show ‣ I was told to dress a certain way for the premiere, I declined ‣ Rather than conforming to a culture, you can choose to contribute instead. ‣ I spoke at the Speak Your Way to cash event in Atlanta ‣ I forgot my belt so I had to make one out of two lanyards ‣ Being prepared is great, but sometimes you gotta improvise ‣ I interviewed Gary Vaynerchuk for Fiverr's series The Signal ‣ I was traveling at the time and had to ask ConvertKit to borrow their studio ‣ You’ll be amazed at who’s willing to help you, especially if you’ve nurtured the relationship These are all legit accomplishments. However, if I just focus on what I’ve done it doesn't help anyone but me. So try this out next time you have a big win (or even a small one) You’ll still get the acknowledgement. But if you help others along the way, you’ll gain fans and friends instead of followers and fakes. Plus, who’s going to share a post where someone else just brags about how great they are? ______ ♻️ If this post was helpful or inspiring, please share it and follow Terry Rice for more.

Everyone wants accountability. No one wants to be held accountable. This guide makes accountability the default mode. Accountability is not something you do. It's the outcome of doing things the right way. Most leaders think accountability is about confrontation: • Creating consequences for failure • Calling people out in meetings • Tracking every detail That's not accountability. That's micromanagement. Real accountability happens when your people want to win.  And your systems make it hard to fail. Here are the 5 systems that make accountability automatic: 1. Crystal Clear Outcomes Define success before you start. Vague goals create average results. Specific targets create clear accountability. 2. Visible Progress Tracking Make progress public. When everyone can see the scoreboard, people naturally step up their game. 3. Regular Check-In Rhythms Weekly reviews, not quarterly surprises. Frequent small course corrections beat big dramatic overhauls. 4. Ownership Assignment One person owns each outcome. Shared ownership means no one is responsible. 5. Outcome Clarity Know what happens when you hit the target and what happens when you miss. No surprises, no excuses. The result? Teams that hold themselves accountable. Leaders who coach instead of complain. Results that speak for themselves. What's your biggest accountability challenge? Getting people to own their results? Having the hard conversations? Making progress visible? Steal my step-by-step playbook from the carousel below 👇 And make Mutual Accountability your team's default mode. And if you found this playbook helpful: ♻️ Share to help others build success through accountability 🔔 Follow Dave Kline & Marsden Kline for more leadership systems PS - We've got our first free Lightning Lesson for 2026 on Thursday.  "AI-Powered Planning: Get Buy-In, Stay Agile, and Win 2026" Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gGGcRKMp

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲. It's a one-way ticket to burnout and frustration... True productivity is about removing hidden barriers that hold you back. It's easy to fall into the trap of busyness, convincing yourself that being constantly active means being productive. Fearful you can't take a step back to reassess. This leads to: - Decreased focus and quality of work - Increased stress and overwhelm - Missed opportunities for growth and innovation Sound familiar? Then it's time to uncover and overcome these hidden barriers. Here's how: 1. Identify your energy drains ↳ Track your activities for a week ↳ Note which tasks leave you feeling depleted 2. Streamline your workflow ↳ Batch similar tasks together ↳ Use automation tools for repetitive work 3. Create boundaries ↳ Set specific work hours ↳ Learn to say no to non-essential commitments 4. Prioritize self-care ↳ Schedule regular breaks throughout the day ↳ Invest in activities that recharge you 👉 When I first started tackling these hidden barriers... It was uncomfortable and felt counterintuitive. But it turned out to be the key to unlocking my true potential. You don't have to work harder to achieve more. You just need to work smarter by addressing what's holding you back. True productivity isn't about doing everything—it's about doing the right things. #Optimize #Productivity #WorkSmart