THANK YOU for being a part of the WUE world this year.  All the very, very best to you and yours!

THIS MONTH'S ARTICLE: HOW TO MANAGE JIM BACK INTO THE WAKE UP EAGER ZONE: A PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT CHECKLIST

When you're in the "Wake Up Eager Zone" you're confident, interested, ready, energized and committed. You take pride in your work and in the company. Your performance is consistent and reliable.  

It just feels good to be "in the zone" and, as a leader, you want the people on your team to be "in the zone" too.   But what do you do when you have a person on your team who's obviously not there?  What would you do if Jim were on your team? 

Jim's Fallen Out of the Wake Up Eager Zone...
Jim's Story: Jim's been with the company for a long time. He's a good guy and he's worked for you for the past four years.  While he's never been one of your top performers, he has in the past demonstrated energy and commitment on the job. He use to do quality work, but lately his performance has slipped. A LOT.

He's missed deadlines and he's making mistakes. In meetings he seems distracted. And, to top it off, today an internal customer complained to you about his work.  You know you need to talk to Jim, and that you need to take action.  

But what do you do first?  How can you make sure that you're honest and direct, without being too easy or too harsh?  Exactly what do you say that will give him the best shot at improving? How do you make sure that you're handling the situation correctly in case more serious discipline actions are needed?

Is it possible to manage Jim back into the Wake Up Eager Zone? It might be. Here are three specific actions you need to take if you have "a Jim" on your team...  Continue Reading.