Your team is facing a performance dip. How can you address it without impacting morale?

Some of the causes people forget are human factors: - has the team been working beyond, at or near full capacity for a long time ? Do they need a break or a change of pace? - is there an administrative drag that is slowing them down? Has ‘the system’ ground-out the creativity? Can you solve that? - are some of the business relationships getting tired? How can you refresh the fun of cooperation and working together?

Dig in! Review all the facts to find out what’s going on with performance. Seek to understand, without placing snap judgements or blame. Avoid significant impacts on morale by taking a human-centered approach with a non-threatening, yet serious attitude with your research and analysis. - Stay calm and show your even-keel approach in front of your team as appropriate - Find the facts and perspectives - Talk with the team, ask for any feedback needed, and get a pulse for your response or potential action plan - Frame your view and reflect on potential impact - Get any approval or communication set - Keep a pulse on the matter and work it in your operating rhythm without adding work Method, team and facts over drama and a gotcha environment

From my experience, build an open communication to understand issues from the team's perspective. Identify root causes and provide the support and resources, such as additional training or adjusted workloads. Set clear, realistic goals and recognize achievements to boost morale and confidence. Offer constructive feedback that focuses on solutions rather than blame, and promote collaboration to tackle challenges together. These concepts help address performance issues while maintaining a positive and motivated team environment.

Begin with a needs analysis. Don't just assume you know the answers and don't assume the people on your team do either. Only an objective review of the situation and the various drivers will allow you to put together the appropriate resolution to the issues.

Regularly share information regarding company changes, challenges that your team is having, or even what's happening in your own life. Showing your team that you're also human creates a safe space for them to share their candid feelings as well.

Be open and honest about the issue. Avoid laying the blame on anyone in or outside of your group. Try to get a handle on the root level causes of what is happening. Work with your team members to determine what interventions might be attempted to address the shortfalls. Realize any intervention is an experiment. How will you determine if it is working? Set some smaller improvement targets that will progress your (your team) toward the ultimate goal. Measure the results and learn from the actions being taken.

If it’s a dip; it means results are a deviation from typical results. In this case, data is your friend. Analyze the data and use that as your guide. Are opportunities down, pipeline progression slowed or stalling; close rates declining, lose a key member of the team, lose a key/top account/partner? Something change in the competitive landscape? Use data first to guide you and then talk to the team. Use all the data and feedback to take next steps and create a plan to address and a gap recovery plan to get business back on track.

It’s been my experience that when results or performance slips the team is already aware. Creating an open forum where two way communication is shared, be candid and specific as to what is being impacted. Ask for input as to possible cause and move to solution quickly, doesn’t help to dwell on what’s wrong. Set timelines for check-ins and celebrate positive movement. If it’s a wide spread dip, impacting multiple team members, always good to look in the mirror.

When you build trust with your team, you’re sharing the responsibility so that everyone is empowered to do their jobs effectively and autonomously. You can do this by giving them the freedom to make decisions and encouraging them to grow their skillsets. When you trust your employees to make good decisions, they’ll feel more confident that their voice and opinion matter. This benefits the entire team because every team member can share their individual strengths and perspectives and put them to use in a meaningful way. When your team is working hard, remember to give your employees the appreciation they deserve. Identify team members who are making an impact and recognize them for the specific work they have contributed.

When your team is facing a performance dip, understanding the 3 Principles of Mind, Consciousness, and Thought can help address the issue without impacting morale. As The Insight Principles Book suggests, our experiences are shaped from the inside out. Providing support means reminding your team that their thoughts influence their performance. Encourage open conversations, offer resources, and create a safe environment for sharing concerns. This approach fosters a sense of understanding and resilience, helping your team bounce back stronger and more motivated. Support, coupled with this deeper understanding, can transform challenges into growth opportunities.

By being involved with your team, you're showing them that you not only trust them with their work, but that you’re engaged with their work. Engaged leaders better understand the work that their team does. Then, demonstrate your support by reinforcing how their individual work connects to broader business goals.

When facing a performance dip, understanding the 3 Principles of Mind, Consciousness, and Thought can be transformative. By empowering ownership, you remind your team that their experience is shaped from the inside out. As noted in The Insight Principles Book, clarity and performance improve when individuals see their innate potential. Encourage your team to take ownership of their thoughts and actions, fostering a sense of responsibility and empowerment. This approach not only addresses performance issues but also boosts morale, as team members feel more in control and valued.

It is critical to make your team part of the analysis and corrective action. This will help your team feel part of the needed changes getting them through the emotional impact everyone faces during change of any kind. The process will also increase their ability to identify future gaps.

All of these steps and advice are great, but won’t matter without consistent monitoring and follow-up. Consistent tracking and follow-up is where the unlock is. Set it and forget it doesn’t work much in people leadership- set it and monitor it in some fashion is more like it. Set-up a management or operating system, or function, that works for your business needs and scale, consisting of these core areas: - Expectations - Accountability - Measurability - Visibility - Review - Acknowledgement (or address) Repeat.