Stop Blaming Your Team for Poor Performance

When I am training a killer whale a new behavior and they get it wrong, do I roll my eyes and think, “Kalia just doesn’t get it?" NO! These whales are such intelligent creatures and the common language between us is body language, hand signals, and positive reinforcement. Instead, I think to myself: there must be something about my communication that is not clear enough. As trainers, we are always bouncing ideas around on how to be more clear to the animal about what we are expecting of them.

The business world can learn a lot from training animals. As bosses and team leads, we cannot expect our employees to read our minds. Their progress is a direct reflection of our capabilities as mentors and coaches.

When training killer whales, I must assess if my directions are clear enough and if my reward systems are effective. In business, it is no different. When an employee’s performance is subpar, instead of thinking they are incompetent, we must look within to assess if we are supplying them with the proper tools and guidance in order to achieve.

Are your feedback channels giving your team the clarity they actually need to win?