My Employee Doesn’t “Get It”
Have you ever had an employee who you feel doesn’t “get it”? Maybe you promoted them to a managerial position or hired someone for a certain role.
You feel like you’ve given them feedback and coached them, but they still don’t do the job as you want them to.
Have you ever had these thoughts?
“They just don’t do what I’ve asked.”
“They don’t comprehend the goal.”
“They don’t see the bigger picture.”
“They keep asking the same questions.”
“They keep making the same mistakes.”
“They just aren’t a good fit.”
“They would probably do better in a different role.”
“They fit our core values, but they struggle in this position.”
What does not “getting it” mean?
Before we dive into it, it might be true that they don’t “get it.” But we first have to understand what that means because it might be your fault and it might not. When someone doesn’t clearly understand their role, the bigger picture, or the expectations, more times than not, we haven’t done a good job creating crystal clear expectations.
We might understand these things as the manager, but we hold back from leaning deeply into the uncomfortable conversation, hence holding back the person from growing and knowing what to do.
Let’s look at some science. We have two different functions in our brains. We have the limbic system which has our feelings and emotions, and we have our frontal lobe which drives our thoughts, language, and logic. While we might “feel” like someone doesn’t understand their role, we struggle to put that into words as it’s coming from a different part of our brain.
Have you given feedback this direct?
“It doesn’t seem like you understand what I expect from you.”
“You do great on the day-to-day work, but you aren’t focusing on the bigger picture.”
“I feel you fit our company’s values, but you aren’t performing very well in your position.”
When you say these things to the team member, they will almost always follow up with questions like “what do you mean?” or “Can you give me an example?” This is why we need to figure out what is driving our limbic system to tell us that we feel like they aren’t performing like we expect them to. To help put our feelings into words, ask yourself these questions. These can be difficult to answer, but take the time to think these through. Sometimes it helps to talk these through with your leader, other manager, or a coach.
What specifically are they doing that you don’t like, even if it’s small?
What specifically are they not doing that you don’t like?
What are other rock star employees doing that this person isn’t?
Hypothetically, what would you tell your spouse on why you had to fire them?
If you had to tell this employee one specific thing to change, what would it be?
Try Giving Feedback First; Real Feedback!
Sometimes we hold back from giving employees this type of clear feedback because something inside us tells us they can’t change. We think “they don’t have the gifts to do what I’m asking.” Be careful of this because you might be wrong. You might be right too, but you won’t know unless you have that open conversation with them.
You might have an open conversation with them and learn more about why they aren’t meeting your expectations. With good coaching and guidance, they might change! You must give them a chance at it first.
What if they truly don’t get it? We all have different gifts or strengths. Sometimes we put people in a role that doesn’t fit their strengths so they will always struggle. If you take an employee who loves talking to people, working with their hands, and has an artistic side to them, they probably won’t be successful in an accounting role. There’s nothing wrong with this! You may have made the mistake of putting a person into a role that they won’t succeed in and you’ll have to either find them another position or let them go. Yes, it is your fault for hiring them, but that doesn’t mean keep them in the position because you feel bad. Give your employees the chance to fight for their position. Give them support and guidance on how to make improvements. Chances are that if they truly aren’t a good fit, they’ll remove themselves from the position before you ever have to. The worst thing you can do is assume they suck at the job based on your feelings without having an honest conversation with them.
