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Managing Poor Performance: The Uncomfortable Truth Most Managers Refuse to Face
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Here's something that'll ruffle a few feathers: 87% of performance issues in Australian workplaces stem from managers who lack the backbone to address problems early. And before you start typing angry emails, I've been on both sides of this equation for nearly two decades.
I remember sitting in my corner office in 2018, watching one of my best team leaders slowly morph into someone I barely recognised. Sarah had been brilliant – the kind of employee who made managing look easy. Then something shifted. Missed deadlines became her new normal. Client complaints started trickling in. Her usual sharp insights during meetings devolved into vacant stares and shoulder shrugs.
Did I address it immediately? Hell no.
Like most managers, I convinced myself it was "just a rough patch." I made excuses. I covered for her. I even redistributed her workload to other team members because it was easier than having that conversation. Classic Sydney corporate behaviour – sweep it under the rug and hope it sorts itself out.
The Price of Procrastination
Three months later, Sarah's performance had deteriorated so badly that her entire team was picking up the slack. Morale plummeted. Our best performer, Marcus, handed in his resignation citing "unfair workload distribution." Two client accounts were lost due to Sarah's oversights.
The real kicker? When I finally sat down with Sarah for a proper conversation, she revealed she'd been struggling with anxiety issues and had been hoping someone would notice and offer support. She actually wanted help but didn't know how to ask for it.
That conversation changed everything for me as a manager. It also probably saved Sarah's career.
Why We Avoid the Hard Conversations
Most managers would rather undergo root canal surgery than address poor performance. We tell ourselves we're being "kind" or "giving them space to improve." Rubbish. We're being cowards.
The truth is, avoiding performance conversations is one of the most unkind things you can do to an employee. You're essentially watching them fail in slow motion while everyone around them notices. It's like watching someone walk around with toilet paper stuck to their shoe and saying nothing because pointing it out might be "awkward."
Here's where I'll probably lose a few readers: performance management isn't about being liked. It's about being fair. And fair means giving people the opportunity to succeed or the clarity to move on.
I've worked with companies from Melbourne to Perth, and the pattern is identical everywhere. Good managers who turn into ostriches the moment performance dips below acceptable standards. They'll spend hours crafting passive-aggressive emails instead of five minutes having a direct conversation.
The Brisbane Banking Incident
Let me share a story from a client in Brisbane's financial district. Name withheld to protect the guilty, obviously. Their star loan officer – let's call him David – had started processing applications with significant errors. Nothing malicious, just sloppy work that was creating compliance headaches.
David's manager knew about the problem for six weeks before taking action. Six weeks! In the banking industry, that's like leaving your front door unlocked in Kings Cross on New Year's Eve.
When we finally got involved, David was defensive and confused. "Nobody told me there was a problem," he said. And he was right. His manager had been "managing around" him instead of managing with him.
The Four-Stage Performance Recovery Framework
After years of cleaning up these messes, I've developed what I call the Four-Stage Performance Recovery Framework. It's not revolutionary, but it works:
Stage 1: Early Intervention Address issues within 48 hours of noticing them. Not next week. Not after the next team meeting. Within two business days. Period.
This is where most managers fail spectacularly. They notice the problem, think about addressing it, then get distracted by the next crisis. Meanwhile, the performance issue compounds like interest on a credit card.
Stage 2: Clear Documentation Document everything. Every conversation, every missed deadline, every improvement and every setback. I know it feels petty, but you'll thank me later when HR asks for details.
Australian employment law is pretty clear on this front – you need evidence of both the problem and your efforts to address it. Plus, documentation helps you spot patterns you might otherwise miss.
Stage 3: Resource Allocation This is where you separate good managers from great ones. Don't just tell someone they're underperforming – give them the tools to improve. Training in handling difficult conversations can be invaluable here.
Maybe they need additional training. Maybe they need clearer processes. Maybe they need a mentor. Or maybe – and this happens more often than you'd think – they need glasses and have been too embarrassed to mention they can't read the computer screen properly.
Stage 4: Decision Point After giving someone reasonable opportunity and support to improve, you need to make a decision. Either they're progressing towards acceptable performance, or they're not.
If they're not, that's okay. Not every role suits every person. Some of my best career moves came after being moved out of positions where I was clearly struggling.
The Melbourne Miracle
One of my favourite success stories involves a marketing coordinator in Melbourne who was failing miserably in her role. Missed campaigns, confused messaging, frustrated clients – the works.
Instead of managing her out, her boss took a different approach. They sat down and really examined what parts of the role she enjoyed and excelled at versus what was causing her to struggle.
Turns out, she was brilliant at data analysis and strategy but terrible at creative execution. They restructured her role to focus on her strengths and hired a creative specialist to handle the areas where she was weak.
Both employees thrived. The team's overall performance improved. The company retained valuable institutional knowledge. Win-win-win.
The Accountability Gap
Here's another unpopular opinion: most poor performance issues are actually management failures disguised as employee problems.
Think about it. If someone was performing well when you hired them, and now they're not, what changed? Did their skills suddenly evaporate? Did their motivation disappear overnight? Or did something in their environment, workload, or support structure shift?
I've seen managers blame "attitude problems" when the real issue was unrealistic deadlines. I've watched supervisors complain about "lack of initiative" when they'd never clearly communicated their expectations.
Sometimes the problem really is the employee. But more often than you'd expect, the problem is the system, the manager, or the role itself.
The Technology Tangent
Quick sidebar: anyone else notice how performance management software has made this problem worse, not better? We've got all these fancy dashboards and metrics, but managers still avoid having actual conversations with their people.
It's like trying to improve your marriage by installing a better security system instead of talking to your spouse. The technology isn't the problem – the human element is.
When to Cut Your Losses
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, things don't work out. And that's fine. Better to make a change quickly than to drag out the inevitable.
I learned this lesson the hard way with a sales manager in Adelaide who was clearly struggling but had potential in other areas. I spent six months trying to coach him into success when I should have moved him to a business development role after six weeks.
My persistence wasn't helping him – it was prolonging his frustration and impacting his team's results. Sometimes the kindest thing you can do is acknowledge when something isn't working and explore alternatives.
The Real Cost of Poor Performance
Poor performance doesn't exist in a vacuum. It ripples through your entire organisation like a stone thrown into a pond.
Your high performers get frustrated carrying extra weight. Your customers notice declining service quality. Your reputation suffers. Your stress levels skyrocket. And ironically, the underperforming employee often feels worse than anyone because they know something's not right but don't know how to fix it.
Companies like Microsoft and Google have figured this out – they invest heavily in manager training specifically around performance management. They understand that good managers are made, not born, and that managing performance is a skill that requires development.
The Australian Context
Our workplace culture in Australia adds another layer of complexity to this issue. We value mateship and fairness, which sometimes translates into avoiding difficult conversations to maintain harmony.
But true mateship means having the courage to address issues directly and supportively. It means caring enough about your team members to help them succeed rather than letting them flounder.
I've worked across all major Australian cities, and while the accents vary, the management challenges remain remarkably consistent. Perth mining companies, Sydney financial firms, Melbourne tech startups, Brisbane logistics operations – they all struggle with the same basic challenge of addressing performance issues promptly and effectively.
Moving Forward
Managing poor performance isn't about being harsh or unreasonable. It's about being clear, supportive, and fair. It's about giving people the best chance to succeed while protecting the broader team's morale and productivity.
Start small. Pick one performance issue you've been avoiding and address it this week. Have the conversation you've been postponing. Document what you observe. Offer support where appropriate.
Your team will respect you more, not less, for taking action. And you might just save someone's career in the process.
The alternative – continuing to avoid these conversations – isn't sustainable. Eventually, the problem resolves itself when good employees leave or underperforming employees are managed out by circumstances rather than choice.
Better to be proactive than reactive.
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