Underperforming Staff Member? Let’s Set Them Up for Success
Co-authored by Mark Harbeke
As estate managers, we are hired to make our principal’s life easier by running their home efficiently and doing what we can every day to reduce their personal risk. In other words, we are supposed to be in a leadership position from day one.
But in reality, that’s not what happens.
Our principal gets involved, and oftentimes we also must deal with the fact that our staff has been on the property longer than we have.
So…how do you step into a leadership role when, say, the gardener or the housekeeper has seniority over you? And when your principal has not said directly to your staff that YOU have hiring and firing power?
I provided tips to help estate managers navigate this leadership minefield in this Coffee With Kelly session.
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I based my presentation on a client engagement where the estate manager was dealing with the following situation involving their gardener:
The gardener thought he was killing it, but the EM’s eyes disagreed
The EM saw weeds and yellow leaves, plants in need of replacement and hedges that no longer resembled hedges
The water bill was exorbitant
The property was losing its “wow” factor and the EM knew the landscape could be run more efficiently with the same labor at a lower cost
Oh, and: the gardener was a nice guy and the homeowner loved him
Here’s the solution I advised my client:
Build a success plan to outline training, supervision, teamwork and accountability
If you need help with this, please reach out.
But first, take a step back and make sure the work environment is designed to foster success. I asked my client if they had:
Good communication (was there a language barrier?)
A task tracking system
The right people on board
An ongoing training program
A good teamwork policy
Proper infrastructure — in the landscape gardener scenario, this means knowing:
Were the plants installed properly (too deep)?
Are they being irrigated properly?
Are they the right plants for the location?
The second initial, big-picture question the EM needed to answer was “Do you know when it’s time to let someone go?” After all, there’s no reason to spend time with someone on a success plan who doesn’t have the right attitude, aptitude, set of skills and/or physical ability to perform the role satisfactorily.
The only thing you can do with a staff member who fits in this category is to let them go as soon as you’re able. While you’re helping this gardener in the long run in terms of them finding suitable work, you are essentially lowering your principal’s risk by filling that position with a trained and qualified individual AND lowering the possibility of someone unknowingly damaging an irreplaceable specimen tree.
The third and final step before getting into the actual success plan is to create some team goals and a mission statement. This serves to clearly articulate to your staff what’s important to you and how you’re going to make decisions on a day-to-day basis.
This can be as simple as something like (in decreasing order of priority):
Satisfied* principal
Happy staff
Happy house
Happy budget
*Why didn't I use “Happy principal”? Well, as you know, that’s a rarity.
As for your mission statement, I use this and it works great: “Nothing but the best, by the best, for the best.”
This is short and ballsy and gets to the root of what we do.
Now you’re ready to build your success plan!
I’ve boiled my success plan down to 5 steps. They are….
Step 1: Gather input from…
Your principal
Your staff
And don’t forget yourself!
Step 2: Define what needs to be improved
I’ve found it helpful to focus on these categories:
Personal requests (does staff need additional help?)
Personal performance (do they need deeper knowledge?)
Team collaboration (safety and team building)
Communication (your goal is to get your staff to come to YOU — and not your principal — with any complaints, requests or responses)
Step 3: Set priorities and deadlines
What needs to be done by the end of the week? End of the month? End of the year?
Step 4: Hold every team member accountable
And…document progress.
Step 5: Implement weekly team meetings, with additional 1-on-1s
Discuss:
Upcoming events and the owner’s schedule
Open and stuck projects
Document progress
Provide group recognition on completed goals
And, most importantly, correct staff in private
It’s important for your team members to see you holding everyone (including yourself) accountable for their success goals.
Now, run with this foundation and plan
When you’re ready to improve your gardener’s work, or any other staff member’s work, everyone will get in flow with their path to success!
For more related tips and context, make sure to watch my video above. At 22 minutes, it’s the perfect length to take in over your next cup of ☕️.
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I hope this is helpful information. If there’s a way I can help you improve your performance and service, please reach out. I’d love to hear from you.
You’ve got this!
xo
Kelly
