Handling Underperformers: the Counterintuitive Reason Why Bottom Performers are Performing Poorly with Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When we focus the bulk of our time on underperformers and fixing problems, we bring the rest of the team down.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Every time you fix something, does something else break? Are you constantly drained from plugging leaks and putting out fires? Does it feel like your workweek is just a giant real-life game of Whack-a-Mole?</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If so, chances are, you’ve probably fallen into the trap of always focusing on the underperformer. We’re hardwired as humans—and especially as leaders—to fix what’s breaking. We bounce from one broken thing to the next. Some of us hang our identity on that. But what happens is that we unintentionally neglect and overlook what’s going</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">well</span></em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">. And our reward for fixing one problem is being handed the next.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask talk about our tendency to focus on underperformers and how it’s not a sustainable way to run a business. There’s a much better way to get things done.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>The Business Law of Thirds</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jeff walks us through a framework where you envision a rectangle divided into thirds. It’s The Law of Thirds, but the business one, not the photography one. In the top third are your high performers. When you’re growing something, leading through change, they’re lifting everyone around them, championing the cause, on board, a joy to lead. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At the very opposite end of the rectangle, the bottom third, are the people who are frustrated and super cynical. They’re not just questioning the strategy (that can actually be helpful), but they’re always pessimistic, sowing seeds of doubt, a lot of toxicity. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the