Answer: You give them a poor evaluation and tell them they have to do better.

Makes sense; seems right. I can understand and accept a low evaluation rating for those who underperform. But what I can’t accept is that their managers and partners assume no responsibility for the underperformance. They simply blame the poor showing on the individuals, never asking how they could have managed differently to get a better result. Unacceptable.

Here are a couple of indicators you may be an unacceptable manager.

> If you have someone who continually blows the budget or misses deadlines, you aren’t paying attention. Whatever you’re doing, you’re NOT managing. You have access to daily reports. You can insist on daily check ins. You can make a spot call anytime you want. Instead, you do nothing, waiting until the budget is already blown or the deadline is already passed. Only then do you wake up to find out what happened. Unacceptable.

> If you have someone who routinely produces schlock work, you are avoiding the situation. Your timely and direct feedback is critical and you refuse to give it. You hide behind excuses like, “I don’t want to hurt their feelings,” “I just haven’t had the time,” or “I don’t know how to say it.” If you don’t want to manage, say so. But don’t give excuses—it’s unbecoming of you. Unacceptable.

I can just here you now. “I shouldn’t have to…”  Whatever you fill in the blank with, I agree. In a perfect world, everything should go perfectly and everyone should behave perfectly. But that’s not going to happen. The fact is that things hardly ever go right. That’s why you need to manage.  Duh.

For the rest of your professional career, pay attention. Whether you’re a senior partner or a young associate, take responsibility for the performance of your work and your people.