The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels

By now, your evaluation of individual team members capabilities should have equipped you to figure out how best to deal with each person. Using the insights you have gained , assign each team member to one of the following categories:

• Keep in place. The person is performing well in his or her current job.

• Keep and develop. The individual needs development, when time allows.

• Move to another position. The person is a strong performer but is not in a position that makes the most of his or her skills or personal qualities.

• Observe for a while. The individual requires watching and needs a personal development plan.

• Replace (low priority). The person should be replaced , but the situation is not urgent.

• Replace (high priority). The person should be replaced as soon as possible.

Consider Alternatives to Outright Termination

You may be tempted to begin right away letting go the people you have decided to replace. But take a moment first to consider alternatives. Letting an employee go can be difficult and time-consuming . Even if poor performance is well documented, the termination process can take months or longer. If there is no paper trail regarding poor performance, it will take time to document.

Fortunately, you do have some alternatives. Often, a poor performer will decide to move on of his or her own accord in response to a clear message from you. Alternatively, you can work with human resources to shift the person to a more suitable position:

• Move them laterally. Shift the person to a position on the team that better suits his or her skills. This is unlikely to be a permanent solution for a problem performer, but it can help you work through the shortterm problem of keeping the organization running while you look for the right person to fill the slot.

• Move the person elsewhere in the organization. Work with human resources to help the person find a suitable position in the larger organization. Sometimes, if handled well, this move can benefit you, the individual, and the organization overall. But don t pursue this solution unless you are genuinely convinced the person can perform well in the new situation. Simply shifting a problem performer onto someone else s shoulders will damage your reputation.

Develop Backups

To keep your team functioning while you build the best possible long- term configuration, you may need to keep an under-performer on the job while searching for a replacement. As soon as you are reasonably sure that someone is not going to make it, begin looking discreetly for a successor. Evaluate other people on your team and elsewhere in the organization for the potential to move up. Use skip-level meetings and regular reporting sessions to evaluate the talent pool. Ask human resources to launch a search.

Treat People Respectfully

During every phase of the team-restructuring process, take pains to treat everyone with respect. Even if people in your unit agree that a particular person should be replaced, your reputation will suffer if they view your actions as unfair. Do what you can to show people the care with which you are assessing team members capabilities and the fit between jobs and individuals. Your direct reports will form lasting impressions of you based on how you manage this part of your job.