Often, when people set goals then fail to achieve those goals the ‘failing’ people would rather not discuss it. Regarding personal performance at business roles, I think there is a lot of that ostrich stuff going on.

Often, in business, I have been involved with or witnessed a string of events of this nature:

1. The subordinate and the boss get together and agree upon goals – targets
2. The subordinate contributes input and accepts the goals
3. The subordinate works but fails to achieve the agreed-upon goals
4. The subordinate fails to inform the boss
5. The boss discovers the failure and discusses it with the subordinate

Then the boss either eases off:

• and the subordinate achieves acceptable performance or
• the subordinate’s failure continues and the boss ignores it or
• the subordinate’s failure continues and the boss addresses it in an escalated manner

Or, the boss commences a performance-monitoring and coaching-counselling process:

• and the subordinate achieves acceptable performance or 
• the subordinate’s failure continues and the boss ignores it or
• the subordinate’s failure continues and the boss addresses it in an escalated manner

When the boss addresses the subordinate’s failed performance in an escalated manner quite often the subordinate reacts defensively. The subordinate may make excuses in an effort to justify the failure, the subordinate may blame the boss for the failure, the subordinate may attack the boss personally, and on very rare occasions the subordinate may dig in and replace the failure with success.

Whether up-front or behind-the-scenes, when subordinates fail at their tasks and the boss addresses it in an escalating manner, ‘motivation’ can become a focal point in the boss-subordinate discussions and interactions. The subordinate often blames the boss: “You de-motivate me!”

Does any of this resonate?

What are you doing about it?