#637
Personal Update:- Tomorrow, 18th March 2025(Tuesday), Mother's 4th Anniversary rituals. Time flies.
Context:Pilita Clark article on FT.
Let’s be real—every team has that one person who’s quietly (or not so quietly) screwing things up. Deadlines slip, work’s half-baked, and somehow it’s never their fault. Big companies love to throw around fancy tools like performance reviews or 360-degree feedback to catch these low performers. But here’s the truth: those tools are a mess. People lie, dodge, or play nice instead of calling it like it is. I’ve spent years with Lean and Six Sigma, setting norms and measuring results, and I say forget the fluff—let’s get practical. Here’s how you spot a low performer, no sugarcoating required.
The Telltale Signs of a Low Performer
- They Miss Deadlines and Ghost You
Stuff’s due, and they’re nowhere. No heads-up, no “I’m stuck”—just silence until you’re chasing them down way past the deadline. They have no respect for deadline and thus no respect for the person to whom they committed the deadline. - They Get Defensive When Called Out
Point out a slip-up? They snap back, make excuses, or act like you’re the jerk. Feedback’s a war, not a fix. - They’re Quiet Zombies in Meetings
They sit there like lumps—zero questions, zero ideas, zero pushback. They don’t challenge bad calls or shake up the status quo. As my boss would say "STUNNED SILENCE"! - They Don’t Play Well with Others
Good work needs teamwork—talking, brainstorming, sorting stuff out. Low performers? They’d rather hide than collaborate. - They Just Don’t Get It
Skills? Weak. Knowledge? Shallow. Drive? Missing. They can’t get things done right, and you’re stuck fixing it. - They Point Fingers
Something flops? It’s the client, the tech, the weather—never them. Accountability’s not their thing. - They Keep Messing Up the Same Way
Same mistakes, same excuses, rinse, repeat. They don’t learn, and you’re trapped in their Groundhog Day. - They Talk Big, Deliver Small
They hype themselves up—big promises, bold claims—but when it’s showtime, you get crumbs.
Why 360 Feedback and Performance Systems Don’t Work
You’d think performance reviews or 360-degree feedback would nail these slackers, right? Wrong. These tools sound great on paper but flop in real life. First, they’re drowning in bias—bosses play favorites, peers dodge tough truths to keep the peace. Even when it’s anonymous, people hold back because they don’t want drama. Second, they’re too slow—by the time you get the data, the damage is done. Third, they’re vague. “Needs improvement” doesn’t tell you squat about missed deadlines or finger-pointing.
Plenty of companies know this. They grumble about useless annual reviews or skewed ratings, but they stick to them anyway. Why? Habit, laziness, or no clue what else to do. In India, it’s worse—90% of firms lean on these systems, then do nothing with the results because confrontation’s a dirty word. Lean and Six Sigma taught me you can’t fix what you don’t measure properly. These tools? They’re like using a broken ruler—fancy, but useless. You need sharper eyes and real action, not paperwork.
Why It’s Hard to Call Them Out
Spotting them is easy if you’re paying attention. The real problem? Most managers won’t say it out loud. They’re too soft, scared of conflict, or just as clueless as the low performer. But here’s the deal: if you don’t tackle slackers, your team’s toast. Waste—like mediocrity—kills progress. You’ve got to measure it, name it, and cut it.
Real Stories from Around the World
Still not convinced? Check out how low performers mess things up globally—and what happens when you deal with them (or don’t).
- Toyota (Japan)
Toyota’s Lean game is legendary. Every job’s got strict standards—time, quality, everything. One guy on the line skipped a tiny quality check to look faster. He didn’t speak up in team huddles, just nodded. Result? Bad parts, huge recalls, millions lost. Toyota retrained him or booted him—no room for slack when you’re that precise. - General Electric (USA)
Back in the day, GE’s boss Jack Welch had a rule: rank everyone, ditch the bottom 10% yearly. One sales guy kept promising big numbers but blamed “tough markets” when he flopped. After two rounds of excuses, he was gone. Harsh? Sure. But GE crushed it because they didn’t let weak links linger. - Tata Steel (India)
In one Tata Steel unit, production tanked. Deadlines slipped, but no one spoke up—too polite to ruffle feathers. Turns out, a few workers didn’t get the new machines and stayed quiet instead of asking. Competitors ate their lunch until Tata tightened up. Lesson? Nice doesn’t win. - NHS (UK)
A UK hospital had crazy patient delays. One nurse dodged team talks, didn’t challenge dumb schedules, and botched her tasks. Everyone knew she sucked, but the manager avoided the fight. Result? Angry patients and a PR mess. Once she was replaced, things clicked.
The Fix Starts with You
Low performers aren’t a mystery—you can spot them a mile away if you ditch the rose-tinted glasses. But it takes a culture of straight talk, not feel-good vibes, to do something about it. Managers need to step up, set clear norms (like we do in Six Sigma with behavioural expectations, vs Results Achieved, End does not justify the means), and stop coddling. Your team’s only as strong as its weakest link—so why let it rust?
End Note: How High Performers Do It:-
In top-notch organizations, everything’s tied to standard work. They set crystal-clear steps—what’s the task, what’s the output, what tools you use, even how to fix problems when they pop up. Meetings? Standardized. Brainstorming? There’s a playbook. It’s all linked to delivering results—you either hit the mark or you don’t. They even build in wiggle room for unexpected hiccups. But if you keep missing the bar, it’s obvious—you’re a slacker. And when that label sticks, action kicks in fast. No fluff, no excuses, just results.
What do you think? How you deal with loe performers? Karthik
17/3/25 12Noon.
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