Finding the Why

When someone is underperforming, the question isn't "what's wrong with them?" — it's "what's getting in their way?"

Try It · Diagnostic Explorer

Tap a Circle to Explore

Each of the three causes asks a different set of questions and calls for a different leadership response. Tap each circle below to reveal the diagnostic questions and the actions a good leader takes once they have identified the cause.

↑ Tap a circle to see what to ask and what to do

Skill — Can they do it?

A capability gap

Questions to ask yourself

Can they perform the skill as required?
Have they ever received training, recently or otherwise?
Have they had the chance to practice and receive feedback?
Has the skill become difficult for them to perform?

If skill is the block, good leaders…

Provide training or refresher training.
Provide opportunities for coaching and feedback.
Help them learn the skill — alongside them, not from above.
Accommodate them if, for legitimate reasons, they cannot perform.

Knowledge — Do they know what is expected?

An information gap

Questions to ask yourself

Were they ever informed about the policies or procedures?
Was their knowledge reinforced after the initial training?
Are the policies and procedures enforced and communicated consistently in the organization?

If knowledge is the block, good leaders…

Share the policies, procedures, and rules — clearly and in writing.
Remind people of the policies and rules — repetition is reinforcement, not nagging.
Check the message at the top. If leaders are sending mixed messages, do not blame the employee.
Reinforce important messages often.

Attitude — Will they?

A willingness gap

Questions to ask yourself

Are they confident in their ability to perform the skill, or do they lack confidence?
Have they become bored with performing the skill?
Is the skill itself punishing in some way?
Are they choosing not to perform because they do not want to?

If attitude is the block, good leaders…

If they lack confidence, provide support and practice opportunities.
If they have grown tired of a task, look for other developmental tasks that could be added.
If they are resistant because they do not like the task, remind them of the job requirements.
If they know, can, and simply will not — it may be time for performance management.

Practice Round

Diagnose the Scenario

Read each situation and decide which of the three root causes is the best fit. You will get feedback on each one and a tally at the end.

Scenario 1 of 4

A continuing care assistant has been documenting client visits in the old paper format, even though your unit switched to a tablet-based system two months ago. When you mention it, she shrugs and says, "Nobody ever showed me how that thing works — I just keep doing what I know."

Scenario 2 of 4

A long-time nurse has been signing in to her shift fifteen minutes late three or four times a week. When you raise it, she says, "I didn't realize fifteen minutes was a problem. The last manager told me as long as I made up the time at the end of the day, it was fine."

Scenario 3 of 4

A staff member with twelve years of experience has been openly rolling her eyes during huddles, dismissing new safety protocols as "more paperwork from people who have never done the job." When you sit down with her one-on-one, she confirms she knows the protocol and can perform it — she just thinks it is a waste of time.

Scenario 4 of 4

One of your longest-serving, hard-working employees seems to have been struggling over the last few months. Her documentation is slower and less detailed than it used to be. In a private conversation she tells you, "I used to feel sharp at this. Lately I second-guess everything. I do not even know if I am writing it up right anymore."

Practice complete

You diagnosed 0 of 4 correctly

The point of this exercise is not the score — it is the habit. The next time you bring a performance concern to a staff member, work through skill and knowledge before you land on attitude. You will be right far more often than you would be by trusting your first instinct.

The Bigger Point

Good Leaders Remove Blocks

Notice the framing of this entire model. You are not investigating who is at fault. You are looking for the block — the thing standing between the person and the performance you both want.

Sometimes the block lives in their skillset. Sometimes it lives in the messages they have been given. Sometimes it lives in their own state of mind. And sometimes, honestly, the block is something your organization has put in place without realizing it.

The leader's job is to find the block and clear it. Performance management, in the formal sense, is what happens at the end of that journey — not the beginning.