You have someone on the team who isn’t hitting the mark. You’ve been hoping it will turn around on its own. It hasn’t. Now every week you let it go, the problem gets harder to fix and the rest of the team notices. Here is the truth: most performance problems are not about the person’s ability or attitude. They are about missing expectations, missing feedback, and missing systems. Nobody sat down and made the standard clear. This page, and the 15 episodes behind it, will show you exactly how to set clear expectations, have the course-correction conversation, and actually get people back on track.
Why most performance conversations never happen
Managers avoid performance conversations for one reason: they are afraid of making things worse. They worry the person will shut down, get defensive, or quit. So they wait. And waiting turns a small performance gap into a full-blown crisis. The real problem is not conflict avoidance. It is that nobody ever gave that manager a repeatable structure for how to actually run the conversation. When you have a clear process, the fear drops fast.
The missing piece: expectations set upfront
The number one cause of underperformance is unclear expectations, not a bad hire. If someone does not know exactly what “good” looks like for their role, they cannot hit it. Before you can course-correct, you have to ask yourself one honest question: did I ever make the standard explicit? Not implied, not assumed, not buried in a job description. Explicit. Lia’s frameworks consistently point here first. If the expectation was never clear, the first conversation is not a performance conversation. It is a clarity conversation. Set the standard, confirm understanding, and give a fair window to perform to it.
How to run a course-correction conversation that actually works
Once expectations are clear, you need a structured way to address the gap. Lia uses The Sit Down framework for exactly this. The approach has three moves: name the specific gap with evidence (not a vague feeling), get the employee’s perspective before you prescribe a solution, and agree on concrete next steps with a defined check-in date. That last part is where most managers stop short. They have the conversation and feel relieved, then never follow up. Without the follow-up, nothing changes and you are right back to square one in six weeks.
Goal setting that prevents performance problems before they start
Reactive performance management is exhausting. Proactive goal setting is what makes it rare. When every team member has specific, time-bound goals tied to what the team actually needs to deliver, performance gaps surface early, while they are still small. Monthly or quarterly goal reviews inside your one-on-ones give you a natural, low-stakes moment to course-correct in real time. You are not ambushing anyone. You are just checking in on the plan you already agreed to together. That shift changes the entire dynamic.
Helping someone reach their potential versus managing them out
Not every performance conversation is about fixing a problem. Some of the best ones are about unlocking someone who is stuck, bored, or in the wrong role on your team. Before you assume someone cannot perform, explore whether they are under-challenged, unclear on how their work connects to the bigger picture, or missing a skill they could actually learn. The Manager Essentials Program covers exactly how to tell the difference between a motivation problem, a skill problem, and a fit problem, because each one requires a completely different response. Treating them all the same is the system gap that stalls good people and burns out good managers.
All episodes on this topic
- Ep 229: What are you willing to tolerate, and what is that actually costing your business?. Your business will only ever rise to the level of what you are willing to tolerate, and every day you let underperformance slide is money leaving your business and goodwill leaving your best people. Lia walks through the exact conversation to have with an underperforming team member: set the expectation, ask if they are in or out, and put the decision back on them. This episode is especially useful for owners and founders who keep avoiding the hard conversation because they are afraid of losing someone or damaging a relationship.
- Ep 157: How to keep a promotion-hungry team member focused on the job they have right now. When a team member starts mentally checking out of their current role because they are chasing a promotion, the fix is not a performance conversation. It is a trust conversation. Lia walks through how to proactively name the tension, commit to advocating for your team member, and show them that doing today’s job well is actually the fastest path to the next level. This episode is especially useful for leaders managing early-career team members who are eager but starting to leave current responsibilities uncovered.
- Ep 120: Why your team member isn’t meeting their full potential (and what to do about it). When a team member isn’t living up to their potential, the problem is almost always a diagnosable barrier, not a lost cause. Lia walks through three questions to ask yourself before deciding someone isn’t a fit, including whether you might be the bottleneck. This episode is essential for any owner or leader who sees more in a team member than that person is currently delivering.
- Ep 113: How to course correct when a team member is not delivering results. When a team member is not delivering, the first move is not to replace them. Lia walks through a three-step framework: reset expectations, open a dialogue, and check back in before deciding next steps. This episode is especially useful for small business owners and team leads who feel stuck between loyalty to a team member and the need for real results.
- Ep 96: Is it too late to fix your team? Three strategies to get unstuck. No, it is not too late to fix your team. Lia walks through three concrete moves: resetting expectations, building real accountability mechanisms, and giving feedback that actually lands. This episode is most useful for business owners and team leaders who feel like they have tried everything and are running out of ideas.
- Ep 71: How to make performance conversations less scary for everyone on your team. Performance reviews feel scary because the system is complicated, expectations are unclear, and feedback only shows up once a year. Lia walks through three moves: incentivize the behavior you actually want, set explicit expectations for what “above and beyond” looks like, and keep the process simple and lightweight. This episode is especially useful for owners, founders, and corporate managers who want to build a performance system people stop dreading.
- Ep 16: Why does it feel like your team doesn’t care anymore, and what do you do about it?. When it feels like your team has checked out, the problem is almost always a mix of confirmation bias on your end and unmet expectations or undervaluation on theirs. Lia walks through two moves: resetting expectations through real performance management, and addressing the compensation and career-growth gap that quietly kills motivation. This episode is especially useful for owners and leaders whose teams have started missing deadlines or deflecting accountability.
Also relevant
- Ep 235: Why your new hire is not working out (and how to fix it before it costs you). When a new hire is not working out, it is almost never a people problem. It is a process problem caused by two gaps: an interview that skips values and expectations, and an onboarding that skips knowledge transfer. Lia walks through both gaps with a real example from Google and gives you the fixes to de-risk your next senior hire.
- Ep 228: Why ‘I shouldn’t have to deal with this’ is keeping you stuck as a leader. The ‘I shouldn’t have to’ mindset is one of the most common traps leaders fall into, and it quietly poisons every hard conversation before it even starts. Lia’s reframe is simple: shift from ‘I have to’ to ‘I get to,’ and watch how your team responds differently. This episode is especially useful for business owners and founders who never set out to be people leaders but now find themselves managing a team.
- Ep 222: What investing in your team could cost you (or earn you). Waiting too long to address a team problem does not make it go away. Lia walks through two real client stories, one that ended in a $250,000 loss and one that produced a record $1M revenue quarter, to show how the timing of your action determines the outcome. This episode is essential for any business owner who suspects a problem but keeps putting off the conversation.
- Ep 220: You hired managers. Why are you still in the details?. Hiring managers does not automatically free you up if those managers were never taught how to actually manage. Lia breaks down the three root causes keeping owners stuck in the weeds and walks through a simple narration method for teaching decision-making without adding more meetings. This episode is essential for any owner or founder who promoted people into management roles and is still fielding every fire.
- Ep 219: Did you make a bad hire? How to know and what to do next. Most ‘bad hire’ situations are actually bad onboarding or missing feedback situations. Lia walks through a 30/60/90-day check-in framework that helps you assess a new team member clearly, without panic or dragging it out too long. This episode is especially useful for founders and small team leaders who are second-guessing a recent hire.
- Ep 216: Why your team isn’t following through (and how to actually fix it). When your team keeps missing deadlines and nothing changes, you don’t have an accountability problem, you have a follow-up problem. Lia breaks down the four-step loop of setting expectations, checking in, addressing misses, and giving feedback so that real ownership replaces passive agreement. This episode is essential for founders, owners, and managers who are tired of having the same conversation every single week.
- Ep 214: How to give feedback after you’ve waited too long. It is never too late to give feedback, and avoiding it only makes the problem worse for your team. Lia walks through how to own the delay, contextualize the conversation, and deliver the message in a way that reduces defensiveness and rebuilds trust. Most useful for founders, owners, and team leads who have been carrying unspoken feedback and need a practical script to finally move it forward.
- Ep 213: How to handle compensation conversations without overpromising or underpromising. Compensation conversations go wrong when leaders create expectations they cannot sustain or mix pay updates with performance feedback. Lia walks through how to build a sustainable compensation narrative, decouple money talks from feedback conversations, and speak honestly when raises or bonuses are smaller than last year. This episode is most useful for founders, business owners, and team leads who want to leave pay conversations without months of fallout.
- Ep 212: Why avoiding tough feedback is the most expensive mistake you can make as a leader. Avoiding difficult feedback does not protect your team member, it leaves them in the dark and lets problems quietly damage everyone around them. Lia breaks down the most common pitfalls leaders fall into with hard feedback and makes the case that one uncomfortable conversation is always cheaper than the resentment and performance damage that builds when you stay silent. This episode is especially useful for founders, owners, and team leads who know they should say something but keep finding reasons to wait.
- Ep 204: What your team is really asking for when requests feel frustrating or confusing. When a team member’s request feels entitled or annoying, there is almost always a deeper need underneath, usually around recognition, clarity, or belonging. Lia’s move is a two-minute pause to ask what the person actually means before deciding how to respond. This episode is most useful for founders and operators navigating the contradictions of growing a team.
- Ep 194: Your team member isn’t performing. Have you actually given them feedback?. Most performance problems are not about a bad hire. They are about a feedback vacuum where expectations were never clearly set. Lia walks through a simple framework: set explicit expectations, give specific constructive feedback, and only then decide whether someone can turn it around. This episode is essential for any owner or leader who has ever thought ‘they should just know this.’
- Ep 192: What happens when your best people feel underutilized (and what to do about it). When team members feel underutilized, your top performers are the first ones quietly heading for the exit. Lia walks through the real cost of underutilization and the simple, conversation-based moves that show your people you see their full potential. This episode is especially useful for anyone who has lost a great team member and could not figure out why.
- Ep 178: How to give feedback that actually works (without your team shutting down). Feedback only works when your team feels safe enough to hear it and accountable enough to act on it. Lia walks through three moves that make feedback land: sharing your own mistakes first, setting crystal-clear expectations before the conversation, and openly holding a high bar while signaling you believe your team can meet it. If you manage anyone and have been softening or avoiding feedback, this episode is the reset you need.
- Ep 176: What does doing nothing actually cost your team? More than you think.. Cutting team support, coaching, and training to save money is one of the most expensive decisions a business owner or leader can make. Lia breaks down the real dollar cost of inaction through two case studies and hard stats on turnover, wasted hours, and lost revenue. This episode is essential for any founder, team lead, or manager who keeps kicking team problems down the road.
- Ep 168: How to handle the worst-case scenarios when giving feedback. Defensive reactions, threats to quit, and “I’m going to HR” are the fears that stop leaders from giving feedback at all, but avoiding feedback costs far more than any of those worst-case outcomes. Lia walks through each scenario and shows exactly how to stay grounded, hold the line, and keep the conversation moving. This episode is for any leader who has been walking on eggshells instead of having the direct conversation their team actually needs.
- Ep 151: The most important step of accountability you are probably skipping. Most leaders set clear expectations and stop there, but accountability lives in the follow-through, not the ask. Lia’s move is to flip who owns the reporting: instead of handing team members their numbers, require them to present the report and bring a plan. This episode is essential for any owner or manager frustrated that people agree to things and then quietly let them slide.
- Ep 145: What if you don’t train your team and they stay?. The real risk is not investing in your team and keeping an underperforming, disengaged person on staff indefinitely. Lia reframes the classic objection by flipping the question: instead of worrying about training someone who leaves, ask what it costs to leave someone untrained while they stay. This episode is essential for any owner or leader who has hesitated to spend on team development because the ROI felt uncertain.
- Ep 134: How to retain your unsung hero team members before they walk out the door. Your most reliable team members are also the most likely to leave if you keep taking their effort for granted. The fix is a three-part move: respect their boundaries, create a coverage plan so they can grow, and connect every role to a clear team priority. This episode is essential for any owner or leader who has a go-to person they genuinely cannot afford to lose.
- Ep 109: The number one thing leaders can do to help middle managers actually delegate. The single most powerful thing you can do to help middle managers delegate is to reward and incentivize the act of delegating itself. That means agreeing on what they will hand off, clarifying how their leadership (not their output) will be evaluated, and then genuinely stepping back so they have room to follow through. This episode is most useful for founders, senior leaders, and anyone who manages managers and wonders why their team keeps bottlenecking.
- Ep 95: A simple two-part framework for setting goals that actually stick. Meaningful goals cover both what you want to achieve and how you want to feel, so you reach the end of the year fulfilled rather than burned out. Lia walks through a doing-vs-being framework, paired with SMART goals, to help you build a list of three doing goals and three being goals that reinforce each other. This episode is especially useful for leaders who want to use the same framework with their teams to drive retention and genuine fulfillment.
- Ep 70: Why great onboarding is the secret to retention, referrals, and a team that actually performs. A strong onboarding experience is an extension of recruiting, and skipping it costs you money, morale, and top talent. Lia and executive coach Jess Heller walk through the frameworks that prevent the leaky-bucket cycle, from 30/60/90-day plans to alignment meetings to re-onboarding team members whose roles change. This episode is essential for any owner, founder, or team lead who has ever hired someone and then wondered why they are already underperforming.
- Ep 47: How to support your neurodivergent team members as a manager. At least one in five people on your team is likely neurodivergent, and most will never disclose it, so the best strategy is to build inclusive practices for everyone. Margaux Joffe, co-founder of the Great ADHD Reset Program, walks through a strength-based approach, clear expectations, and feedback adjustments that remove barriers for neurodivergent employees while making the whole team stronger. This episode is most useful for any manager who wants practical, low-lift ways to build a more accessible and effective team.
- Ep 39: Venting vs. needing help, unmet expectations, and manager thrash: three real questions answered. When a team member comes to you with a problem, the single most useful thing you can do before taking any action is ask what they actually need from you. Lia walks through three frameworks: distinguishing venting from a real ask for help, resetting expectations before escalating a performance issue, and rebuilding trust after inheriting a team burned by manager turnover. This episode is especially useful for leaders who feel the urge to immediately jump in and solve every problem their team brings them.
- Ep 36: What to do when you have an unhappy employee on your team. When a team member is visibly unhappy, you have two paths: fix what is making the role not work for them, or support them in finding their next thing. Lia walks through a coaching-question framework to diagnose which path is right before jumping to conclusions. This episode is especially useful for owners and team leads managing small teams where one disengaged person carries outsized weight.
- Ep 21: How to build a culture of learning on your team (and why it drives retention). Building a culture of learning means going beyond job-specific training to develop the whole person, because the skills that actually move organizations forward are human skills, not tactical ones. Abbie Mirata’s framework, leading through learning, challenges leaders to encourage team members to learn something completely outside of work and then bring those insights back. This episode is especially useful for owners and leaders who want a practical, retention-focused case for investing in learning and development.
- Ep 12: How to turn unlucky situations as a manager into opportunities. Unlucky situations on your team, inheriting a low performer, losing headcount, or watching a star player walk out the door, are not bad luck. They are a perspective, and Lia walks through a concrete reframe for each one: shift from asking “why me” to asking “what’s possible.” This episode is most useful for managers and founders who feel stuck after an unexpected setback.
- Ep 10: Three mistakes seasoned managers make (and how to stop making them). Even experienced managers can quietly disengage their teams by skipping training, refusing to delegate, and failing to build a strong bench of leaders. Lia walks through each mistake with concrete examples and the specific moves that fix them. This episode is most useful for anyone who has been managing for years and senses something on their team is starting to slip.
Want to go deeper?
The Manager Essentials Program. Lia’s flagship program for new and rising managers.