Several members of my leadership team protect underperforming employees in their departments because they dread having hard conversations or hiring replacements. How do I get my leadership team to hold their own people accountable without me stepping in to manage their departments?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When executive leaders tolerate mediocre performance on their teams, it is usually driven by two fears: the discomfort of direct confrontation and the fear of taking on the workload while hiring a replacement. But when an executive tolerates poor performance, they compromise their own seat on the Accountability Chart and demoralize their top performers.

To fix this, you must institutionalize accountability rather than leaving it to individual managerial courage. Mandate that every leadership team member conduct quarterly People Analyzer reviews with every direct report. The People Analyzer removes subjectivity by evaluating individuals against your core values and whether they Get, Want, and have the Capacity to do their job (GWC).

If an employee lands below the agreed-upon company bar, implement a strict thirty-day strike policy. The executive must have a clear, documented conversation detailing the exact performance gaps and measurable expectations. If the employee does not turn it around within thirty to ninety days, the executive must replace them.

Hold your leadership team accountable for the health of their seats during your quarterly reviews. If a director continues to protect an underperformer, treat that as a performance issue for the director themselves. Make it clear that tolerating sub-par execution in their department means they are failing their primary role of leading and managing their team. When leaders realize that protecting poor performers puts their own seat at risk, their willingness to have hard conversations increases immediately.