Is It Willingness or Ability?

Do you manage performance problems?

Coaching people to achieve their goals when they are experiencing performance difficulties takes skill, practice, and patience. What do we say? How do we encourage them? How can we be most helpful?

It's important to identify the source of the problem. Find out if they truly lack the skill -- which is an indicator that training could help, or do they lack the willingness -- which is a completely different situation.

Most leaders are happy to provide the training that their team members need in order to be able to perform at their best and achieve their goals. What training is available though to help someone who is unwilling to put the work in that it requires to succeed? My experience has been that there is no magic training for that kind of situation. Willingness is an inside job. Team members must be willing to learn, to grow, and to develop the ability to achieve their goals.

A lack of skill requires patience and teaching. A lack of willingness requires discipline and change.

If the team member is unwilling to make the necessary changes, they may need help in leaving the team.

Harsh? Not really. Willingness is not negotiable, is it?

-- Douglas Brent Smith

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