When a team is falling short, it’s usually obvious, and the pressure to fix it is real.
What most leaders do is they try things. Some combination of restructuring, hiring or firing, a team offsite, or a series of hard conversations. And still, nothing really changes, in any kind of sustainable way.
Here is the problem. They are treating symptoms, not the source.
I spent years doing the same thing with chronic low back pain. Chiropractor, physical therapy, stretches, X-rays. Temporary relief, nothing lasting. What I finally figured out was that I never identified the actual source of the pain. Once I did, everything changed.
The same is true for an underperforming team. If you misdiagnose the root cause, every fix you try delays the outcome you want or makes things worse. Both are expensive mistakes when you are being paid to deliver results.
But there is one thing you must know, but might not like to read:
Leadership is the #1 cause of a team’s underperformance.
This week, I am walking you through the five causes of underperforming teams, how to know which one is hurting yours, and exactly what to do about it.
Use your gifts,
John Eades
Founder of LearnLoft | The Sales Infrastructure
This Week’s Poll Question
Anyone who answers this poll is entered to win a free copy of the Optimistic Outlook.
Which cause is hurting your team's performance most right now?
Last Week’s Poll Results
Have you ever run a formal prioritization exercise with your team? (If you don't have a team, has your leader?)
Yes, we do it regularly (35%)
No, but we need to (40%)
Occasionally (25%
The Optimistic Outlook (Newsletter)
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Accelerate Leadership Program
Every underperforming team has a root cause. More often than not, it traces back to the manager leading it.
60% of new managers fail in their first 18 months. The reason is simple: only 15% of managers receive any training before they lead. The other 85% learn on the fly by doing the best they can. Which typically isn’t very good.
The Accelerate Leadership Program fixes that. If you have a team of managers and you are tired of watching good people struggle with problems that have solutions, this was built for you.
