Ever seen a brilliant employee get labeled a low performer? I have... and it had nothing to do with their talent. They just had the wrong leader Someone who couldn’t coach Wouldn’t listen Didn’t care And suddenly That person became a “problem” instead of a possibility So many HR stories live in the space between the numbers And the context no one bothers to ask about Not every low score tells the whole truth But every full story deserves to be heard Before we judge performance We better understand the environment we placed them in Because sometimes the issue Isn’t the person It’s the system around them And great HR? We don’t just chase numbers We uncover truths :) #PerformanceInsights #PeopleOverNumbers #LeadershipResponsibility #HRwithDepth #ContextMatters
True, performance is often a reflection of leadership, not just talent. Great HR looks deeper.
There's often a misconception that "rock star" employees will be top performers no matter what is thrown at them. While this may be true for a very, very small percentage of that population, most top performers still need the right guidance and support from their team to be successful.
Environment a key factor. Thank you Benjamin Langner
Hey, it’s me! I’m the bottom left on some HR VP’s 9-Box. It WAS someone who couldn’t coach, wouldn’t listen, didn’t care. But I learned a valuable lesson from this person, I learned the type leader I didn’t want to be.
Spot on.
This is such a great post. I would add that there are times when someone gets labeled a "low performer" just because they may have had an opposing view, or had a personality clash with their leader. Once the label is placed, other leaders will find reasons to +1 it and eventually the individual is worked out and replaced with someone who will say "yes" to things without questions. My approach, leverage every instance of misalignment as an opportunity to deepen connection and alignment. Diversity of perspective and thought is what makes decisions better and drive a high performance culture. I've had great success in getting individuals to understand their common ground and how they are actually both aligned at creating and driving value but might be approaching it from different perspectives. The result, increased trust, improved team culture and better business outcomes. When you put #peoplefirst everyone wins.
Performance is shaped, not just shown. And if we’re not willing to look at the conditions we’ve built, we’re not ready to measure the people in them.
This hit home. I’ve experienced firsthand how biased leadership can skew performance ratings, sometimes based on personal dynamics rather than actual performance. It’s frustrating, especially when the numbers don’t reflect the effort or impact. Posts like these remind me why fair, context-aware HR practices matter so much.
Portfolio Lead, Project Manager, Project Controls, Project Support Manager and Contract Manager
1moSometimes trainees are treated badly. I was give 4 trainees, told to turn them around or we release them. I had a project, they spent 3 to 6 months, and they went from unusable to high performers. They were working with the wrong person, she could not coach or mentor. Nobody taught her, nobody supported her, so she did not know how to help. More often than not it comes down to poor leadership