The Team Lead Handbook · People
Spotting and Coaching Underperformance Early
Notice performance problems early, find the cause, and coach with clear expectations — before it becomes a formal process.
Scenario
Example team: an engineer on the checkout team, Lee, has missed several commitments over two months; his pull requests need many rounds of review. The team lead hopes it will improve and covers for him in planning. Other engineers notice and start to resent the extra load.
What you see on the team
- The same person's work repeatedly late or needing heavy rework.
- Teammates quietly compensating — and getting frustrated.
- The lead avoiding the conversation, or hinting vaguely.
- A surprise for Lee when it finally comes up in a review.
The common mistake
Waiting and covering, then raising it late and vaguely — rather than naming it early, understanding the cause and agreeing clear expectations.
Why it happens
Leads want to be kind and hope problems resolve. They're unsure whether it's "bad enough" to raise. But unaddressed underperformance is unfair to the person (who can't fix what they don't know) and to the team (who absorb the cost). Most underperformance has a cause the lead can help with — unclear expectations, a skills gap, the wrong work, or something outside work.
The playbook
1. Notice patterns, not single events. Keep notes with dates and examples.
2. Talk early and privately. Describe specific observations and their impact (SBI), then ask open questions:
"Over the last two months, three of your tickets slipped by a week or more, and the last two PRs needed four review rounds. That's not the level I've seen from you before. What's going on?"
3. Diagnose the cause — it's usually one of:
| Cause | What helps |
|---|---|
| Unclear expectations | Write down what "good" looks like for their level |
| Skills gap | Pairing, smaller scope, training, a mentor |
| Wrong work or role fit | Different kind of work where possible |
| Personal circumstances | Flexibility, support, involve the manager/HR as appropriate |
| Motivation / engagement | See Motivation and Engagement |
4. Agree a concrete plan with clear expectations, support and a timeline (e.g. four to six weeks), written down and shared.
5. Check in weekly, recognise progress specifically.
6. Involve the engineering manager early — they own performance management. If there's no improvement, a formal process is their call, following company policy.
What to say
Agreeing expectations:
"Let's agree what good looks like for the next six weeks: PRs under 300 lines, with tests, ready for review in two rounds or fewer; and if a ticket is going to slip, you flag it at standup the day you know. I'll pair with you on the first two, and we'll check in every Friday."
Trade-offs
- Early conversations feel premature; framed as observations and questions, they're supportive, not punitive.
- Covering for someone protects them short-term and harms them and the team long-term.
- Team leads aren't always people managers; work closely with the engineering manager and follow company policy — don't run formal processes yourself unless that's your role.
Signals it's working
- Performance concerns are raised within weeks, not months.
- The person knows exactly what's expected and how they're doing.
- Most cases improve with support; the rest move to a fair, documented process.
- Teammates stop silently compensating.
Key points
- Raise performance concerns early, privately and specifically.
- Diagnose the cause: expectations, skills, fit, personal circumstances or motivation.
- Agree written expectations, support and a timeline; check in weekly.
- Involve the engineering manager early — formal processes are theirs and follow company policy.
Practice questions
An engineer has missed commitments for two months and teammates are compensating. What do you do?
Answer
Raise it privately now with specific observations and impact, ask what's going on, diagnose the cause, agree written expectations with support and a timeline, check in weekly, and involve the engineering manager early.
Name four common causes of underperformance and one response to each.
Answer
Unclear expectations (write down what good looks like), skills gap (pairing, smaller scope, mentor), wrong work fit (different work where possible), personal circumstances (flexibility, support, involve manager/HR).
Why is covering for an underperforming teammate a problem?
Answer
The person can't fix what they don't know about, the team absorbs extra load and resentment builds, and when the issue finally surfaces it's a surprise and harder to address fairly.
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