No employee starts off wanting to be mediocre. In fact, as executive recruiters in Houston we know that most workers have an innate desire to excel at whatever tasks they are asked to do. But for whatever reason, an employee may sometimes deliver good results, just not great results; or they may start off performing spectacularly on a project, only to drop the ball later on.

So are there ways you can go about turning these mediocre employees into high performing talent? Here are some suggestions:

Listen and ask questions.

If you have an underperforming employee, schedule a meeting with them to discuss their performance and to give them specific examples of areas that need improvement. But don’t do all the talking. Make sure you ask them questions, like what issues or challenges got in the way of them doing a better job and how you can help them deal with those problems next time.

Be positive.

Employees tend to respond better to positive statements, rather than negatives ones. So instead of saying something like “You shouldn’t…” or “I don’t want you to…,” use statements like “Next time, maybe you could…” or “What if we tried to…”

Offer support and access to training opportunities.

Sometimes the reason an employee isn’t performing up to expectations is because they don’t know how to do a part of their job. So make sure your employees have access to the training, resources, and support they need to properly perform their jobs in the future.

Explain why a project or task is important.

Most managers are good at telling their employees what to do; but many don’t tell employees why they need to do it. So give your employees compelling reasons for “why” a project or task is important to the company.

Figure out what motivates them.

Not everyone is motivated by the same things. For instance, some are motivated by money or recognition, while others are motivated by the ability to help people. But the more you understand what motivates your employees, the better you’ll be able to manage them.

Be a good model.

Employees respond more to actions, then words. So make sure you are a good model. Don’t ask them to do things you wouldn’t do; otherwise, you won’t be able to influence them to act the way you want them to. Set the same standards for yourself and your employees.

Recognize progress.

Reward your employees when you see them making progress. Even an email or a few words of praise will motivate your employees to keep up the good work.

Sometimes, though, underperforming employees aren’t able to deliver on expectations and you may need to let them go. If that’s the case, and you’re in need of high performing talent, please contact Murray Resources. As experienced executive recruiters in Houston, we can deliver proven people, when you need them.