Is it a people or process issue?

The next time a business owner complains to you about an employee, or wishes his team could act or behave differently, or complains about not being able to go on vacation because no one will step up, ask her that one question.

She will stop dead in her tracks and look at you funny, cocking her head slightly. She will start to think or even say “Hmmm, I never thought of that.”

So which do you think it is? What causes an employee to perform poorly in his or her role?

Most of us would default to people. We think Bill or Sarah are just not capable. We assume it is a lack of skill, or motivation, or desire that keeps them from doing the job well. But when we ask an owner to consider this question, it opens the door for a new perspective. We can then ask questions of that owner.

• Does the problem happen with just Bill? Has it happened with others in this role?

• Is the process documented? Or does it live inside someone’s head? Does Sally have enough information to make the same decision you might make when confronted with a problem or challenge?

• What information do you share with your teams? Do they know how their actions contribute to your overall financial goals?

• Do you have a strategic plan?

• Who sits at your leadership table?

• Have you ever offered financial training to your employees?

From our experience, the root of most performance challenges can be traced to processes — either they don’t exist, aren’t documented, or don’t make sense. People don’t wake up each morning hoping to perform badly in their roles. They just spend their day working around unnecessary obstacles to success with no clear direction or understanding of what they are doing and why it matters.

Level 5 Certified Advisors have tools (starting with the first lesson they complete in the online training) that they can put work in helping those employees and their leaders succeed. It’s why we do this work.