You have an underperforming Team Member?

Here's what I do.

I lean in.

The 'lean in' concept means something else to those who embrace the Sheryl Sandberg idea - I have a different definition.

I get very close to a problem area. I lean in.

I ask questions about it. Get to know it thoroughly. Meet with the workers that execute the process and find out how it works.

Choosing where to lean in is an art. We can't be over-interesting ourselves in every gap in the team.

But where a process is not working, where a team member is not performing, where the results are not there - it's time to lean in.

Sit next to the hotspot.

It's not micromanaging. That's when goals are set and KPIs are measured.

Leaning in, is where we get under the hood and seek out every meticulous detail. It's microinspecting.

And often what you thought was the problem often becomes something else.

#leanin #performancemanagement #microinspecting #businesslinguist