Have you fallen into the performance trap
Of not having enough courage
To give the people you lead
What their performance deserves

Here’s one way you’ll know
If you’re treating everybody the same
Or nearly the same
When you hand out rewards
Then you’re not giving people
What their performance deserves

Here’s another way you’ll know
If it’s time to make decisions
About who to reward and how much
And you get anxious
Worrying about what people will say
Like any of your high performers
Or some of your whiney
Poor performers
Your courage has slipped
And you’re not giving people
What their performance deserves

High performers know what they deserve
And when they don’t get it
They get ticked off
They get fed up real quick
And they start looking
For greener pastures
And they will find them
Sooner or later
And they’ll be gone

Poor performers quickly learn
That whining and complaining
Usually gets them more
Than their performance deserves
So they whine and cry
Complain and blame
With persistence
And you give them more
Than their performance deserves
So they will shut up
And leave you alone
And what do they do then
Go right back from where they came
Poor performance

So what are you to do

You have to dig deep
And find the courage
To do what you know
Needs to be done

And how

Tip #1:
Take a close look
At the bottom of your
Leadership heart
And you will find
This undeniable truth

The corporation is not a welfare state
People are to earn what they get
And get what they earn
If they want to be on welfare
They need to be somewhere else
It’s as simple as that

And if you don’t have the courage
To give them what their performance deserves
Some would say you should go with them

Tip #2:
Get out the microscope
Crawl under the lens
And look for your fear
The fear that holds you back
From giving people
What their performance deserves

Is it a fear of conflict
With those who want more
But whose performance
Deserves less

Is it a fear of not being liked
By the whiners and complainers
Who perform poorly

Is it a fear of doing things a different way
A fear of rocking the boat
A fear of being different than your peers
Maybe even of your boss

You’ll never cross the line
To leadership excellence
Until you find the fear
That keeps you
From giving people what their performance deserves
And conquer it

Tip #3:
Take a slow cruise
Down consequences lane
Open your eyes
And take it all in

If you aren’t giving people
What their performance deserves
High performers have little respect for you
Poor performers laugh behind your back
No one takes you seriously

You may not see this
You may not hear it
You don’t want to believe it
But you can feel it
Because it is true

You have given up
The heart and soul
Of what it takes to lead

If you’ve chosen to give it up
You can choose to take it back

It is never too late

There is only one thing
And you have to do it

Give everyone what their performance deserves
Not more
Not less

You are free to choose

Jump start employee motivation
Put the fuel to performance improvement
Stoke the fire of employee job satisfaction
And your own

Martha Forlines and Thad Green

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