Are underperformers and toxic people sucking the life out of you? Do you feel compelled to invest your time and energy in trying to ‘fix’ these needy people? If so, you’re rewarding the wrong people for their efforts.

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Complete Video Transcript

Many managers reward the toxic people and ignore their top achievers. They reward the wrong people by giving them their time via coaching and 1-to-1 attention. They reward the uncommitted underperformer rather than the talented new hire, veteran superstar or promising up-and-comer.

Managers invest far too much time trying to salvage the needy salesperson, the constant complainer or the ongoing confrontation creator, and problem architect. Become more vigilant around who you invest your time in and ensure you have a turnaround strategy in place to proactively deal with these people. This way, you can quickly collect the evidence you need to assess if they’re a good fit and have the desire and ability to change for the best. Otherwise, you run the risk of being seduced by their potential and then, a year later, turn around and painfully realize that they’re STILL on your team and haven’t changed!

While it’s often true that the squeaky wheel gets the oil, more of your time should be spent rewarding the people that contribute to you and help your team thrive. The people who consistently reach and exceed performance goals. The people who are going to be around for the long-term and who want to grow with you and with the company.