If you've found yourself frustrated at an underperforming team or team member, you're not alone. It's actually one of the most common conversations to come up when I talk to clients and business owners across the region.
It’s easy to think the problem lies with the people themselvesmaybe they’re not as capable or committed as you want them to be. And yes, there are times when someone isn’t the right fit or doesn’t have the right skills for the role. But what I hear too often is the automatic assumption that capability is to blame when it’s actually the structure they’re working in that’s causing the issues.
Even the most capable employees can’t perform at their best without clarity of expectations, clear roles, defined responsibilities, and active management.
Getting your business to run like clockwork isn’t just about having the right systems in place. When a team is involved, it also relies on their being an environment where everyone knows exactly what they’re supposed to be doing and how their work fits into the bigger picture. The problem we often see is that many business owners believe they’ve provided this clarity when, in reality, their teams are still struggling with confusion and uncertainty, or simply have a different view of what is expected.
How it shows up…
When roles and responsibilities are unclear, or when you don’t actively manage performance, a few things happen:
Confusion: People start second-guessing what they should be doing. Without clear guidance, tasks fall off track.
Accountability Disappears: When it’s unclear who’s responsible for what, things get missed.
Tension Between Team Members: Overlapping roles lead to misunderstandings, creating friction between employees.
Low Morale: When people don’t know what’s expected of them, they become demotivated, and productivity takes a hit.
You might think you’ve laid out roles and responsibilities, but what’s clear in your mind may not be so clear to your team.
Setting expectations is just the start
Even when roles are defined, some businesses fall into the trap of thinking that’s the job done. But that’s just the beginning. You can’t set expectations once and never revisit them.
What often happens is that when someone drifts from their responsibilities, the knee-jerk reaction is often to think they’re not performing. But performance isn’t something you manage once and walk away from. Like anything else in business, it requires regular attentioncheck-ins, feedback, and course correction. If your team, or a team member, isn’t clear on where they’re going, or isn’t aware that they’re not delivering what you expect, how can you expect them to do better?
Building the Right Framework
To get the most out of your team, they need ongoing clarity and support:
1. Clearly Define Roles: Map out exactly what each person is responsible for. Ask them directly if they feel clear about their role.
2. Set Boundaries: Make sure everyone knows where their role ends and another begins. This helps avoid overlap and confusion.
3. Check in Regularly: As your business grows, roles may need to evolve. Revisit expectations regularly to ensure alignment.
4. Stay Engaged: Don’t wait until things go wrong to give feedback. Regular check-ins keep everyone on the same page.
Talk to your team
One of the best ways to ensure your team feels clear on their roles is simply to ask them. You might think everything is obvious, but their perspective could be very different. Open conversations can help you uncover hidden issues that might be holding your team back, giving you the chance to address and resolve them before they become bigger problems.
If your team isn’t performing, it’s not always a capability. Taking a step back to assess whether you’ve set them up for success could make all the difference.
If this sounds familiar and you’d like support to address the problem, get in touch…
simplifiedoperations.co.uk – 0191 694 1349
