How do you know when it's time to replace someone?

This is a tough one, and we - as leaders and managers - have likely all been there. In this article, I focus on situations that are more nuanced than specific performance and accountability challenges, as I think those are more difficult for leaders to navigate. In my experience as a social impact leader and in coaching them, these situations often first come up intuitively - the engagement, performance, and/or impact of a team member seems “off.” It might be a quick mention at first, and then that person’s name continues to come up in coaching sessions as we aim to find ways to understand their perspective, tap into their motivation, and address challenges. Beyond performance, I have outlined three situations below that can signal the need for a change, including guidance regarding how to know if this issue may be present in your workplace. 

When faced with such an issue, my recommendation is the same in all situations: Get curious with your teammate. Check your assumptions at the door, and go into the conversation with him/her/them as an active listener with an open mind. Click here for a list of questions that can help get you going.

Lack of buy-in to the big picture

In my experience, there are two key levels to this one. The first and more basic level is the connection to the “why” of your organization - vision, mission, and values. Most social impact organizations can vet candidates for this quickly and do so upfront. The second level is more complicated - it is the connection to the organization’s current strategic direction/plan. These situations are the hardest when a long-standing team member no longer agrees with the future vision for the organization, perhaps as a result of a strategic pivot or a leadership change. 

In some cases, these differences become clear during the conversations leading up to a big organizational change, and such situations can make facilitating a departure easier on all sides. That said, I have also seen this issue show up more in the form of a lack of engagement, making it harder to discern. Look for shifts in your team members' engagement and/or a lack of follow-through on the execution of pieces of the plan. If she/he/they are a manager, look for signs of discontent or low morale on their team.

Lack of ability to hear and respond to feedback (and work at it)

Engaging with constructive feedback as a “gift” is something that most folks need to work at. This is why I put less emphasis on how a team member responds to the initial feedback conversation compared to how they behave after the conversation. Once I have given the feedback, I see it as a restart. I specifically look for, acknowledge, and celebrate the behaviors that show they are trying to incorporate the feedback into their work. It isn’t easy to change, and I put a high value on effort. However, if they don’t make this effort and/or aren’t able to meet expectations, you must follow up. If you don’t, you have indirectly communicated to them that feedback doesn’t need to be taken seriously at the organization, and they will align their behaviors accordingly.  

Negative impact on team dynamics and culture

In these cases, a team member may be draining morale or productivity, undermining others, or limiting progress in some way. The issues tend to be less about what is getting done and more about how. This can be difficult to navigate, partly because many organizations haven’t intentionally established their ways of working together. When org culture and collaboration norms are unwritten, it can be challenging to set and maintain goals. That said, this situation can come to light through observation - How is the person leading meetings and/or their team? What does engagement look like in those settings? Are colleagues avoiding or struggling to work with them? Are folks leaving their team, and if so, what does the exit interview data tell you? 

Finally, when a person is negatively impacting the team, it may be rooted in one of the other issues named in this piece and/or burnout. So, connecting with them directly and getting curious about their experiences can help unearth a bigger issue. 

I can share a story to this effect. Years ago, a colleague and I were in different leadership roles in the same organization. We had worked together for years before that and would check in with each other from time to time. At one point, I started to realize that I was avoiding stopping by his office. Upon further reflection, I realized that our conversations had become venting sessions about the organization, and they were draining my energy because of the care I felt for both him and the org. I mustered up the courage to tell him this and got curious about what was going on for him. Our conversation helped him realize the extent of his job dissatisfaction, which wasn’t about the strategy, his performance, or feedback - he was burned out at the organization and ready to lead elsewhere. And he did, finding an ED job ~6 months later!