Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable

The performance improvement plan

Good evening, or perhaps, good morning. Leaders have to make many decisions every day. The toughest ones make you feel uncomfortable. No one enjoys conflict, but at times, conflict is necessary. And the sooner you accept that there is conflict and tackle it head on, the easier it is. You have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

I like to think of work conflict like a toothache, the longer you put off dealing with it, the worse it gets. But, like a toothache, when the pain is gone, good things happen.

The Performance Improvement Plan, the PIP - no Gladys Knight in this one - is often seen as the precursor to an associate losing their job. A way of “managing” that associate out. What if I told you that the “PIP” could become a collaborative process that can lead to better performance, building trust, and becoming a better leader?

The key word is “improvement”, isn’t that the goal? While you may know what you want your associate to improve/develop, does your associate know? That was my “AH-HA” manager moment. If I wanted to have the PIP be productive I had to include the associate in the development of the plan.

My first time trying this, I must admit, I was nervous and a tad skeptical. I sat down with the associate and our HR Manager. The conversation went something like this:

“We are meeting to discuss your performance over these past few weeks. First, I’d like to get your thoughts on how you feel things are going?” The conversation flowed, and then I asked, “How about this, you list the top 10 things you feel are your job duties, and then rate yourself on each one on a 1-5 scale. I will do the the same and in a week we will meet and see how aligned we are.”

What I learned when we met is that we were aligned, but the areas for improvement were not the associate’s fault. There were job duties that our team did not make clear, or provide the proper training for. So………….we developed a roadmap; together, with touch points along the way, the associate “bought-in” because they were a part of the process. (Remember - engagement!!) Lo and behold, this associate went on to become one of the most successful members of the team. They were promoted and now are leading with the same collaborative skills developed when we sat down to start the PIP. Perhaps PIP should stand for Planning, Improvement and Prospering.

Lesson learned? Lean into conflict, because the longer you delay, like the toothache, the worse it gets. And guess what, the tooth knows it’s hurting as well and wants you to make it better. #metaphortime

Thank you for reading and as always, be kind to everyone you meet.