run-underperformance-conversation

Run Underperformance Conversation

Have an early, direct conversation the first time a performance gap appears — naming the specific gap, exploring causes without assuming, and agreeing on a clear path to correction — before the pattern hardens and requires formal process.

Why This Is Best Practice

Adopted by: Kim Scott's "Radical Candor" framework — used at Google, Dropbox, Apple, and most major tech companies as a management training standard — defines "challenging directly" as the non-negotiable second half of caring management; Linda Hill's research (100 new managers over one year, "Becoming a Manager") found that failure to address underperformance early was the single most common management failure among new managers, and that delay consistently made the situation worse; SHRM's early performance intervention framework is the HR industry standard for preventing PIPs through proactive management Impact: SHRM research found that managers who addressed underperformance within the first 30 days of observing it resolved the issue (returned the employee to expected performance) 70% of the time; managers who waited more than 90 days resolved it only 25% of the time; Gallup's 2022 research found that only 29% of employees "strongly agree" that their manager discusses their performance clearly — meaning 71% of employees are not getting early performance signal they need to course-correct; Kim Scott's framework identifies manager silence as "ruinous empathy" — the most common management failure, where concern for the employee's feelings causes the manager to withhold feedback that would actually help them Why best: Early underperformance conversations feel uncomfortable to managers — they require naming a gap to someone who may not see it, react defensively, or feel demoralized; managers avoid them through rationalization ("it's just a phase," "they're going through something personal," "it'll get better on its own"); this avoidance is the primary cause of formal PIP processes — by the time a PIP is needed, the gap has been growing for months while the manager said nothing; a single direct conversation at the first sign of decline is almost always easier for both parties than a formal documented process six months later