How should you respond when a team member consistently misses commitments?

How should you respond when a team member consistently misses commitments?

• A. Publicly reprimand and terminate.
• B. Discuss privately, understand blockers, adjust plan, offer support, escalate if necessary.
• C. Ignore the pattern and hope it improves.
• D. Double their workload without support.

Answer: (B)

When a team member consistently misses commitments, the best approach is to address it with private, constructive conversation that uncovers what’s stopping them and then adjust the plan to remove those obstacles. Start by asking open, nonjudgmental questions to understand blockers—these could be unclear requirements, competing priorities, insufficient resources, skill gaps, or personal issues. Once you know the root causes, work together to modify the plan: clarify expectations, re-prioritize tasks, reallocate work, break tasks into achievable steps, set interim milestones, and provide the needed support or training. Keep an ongoing line of communication to monitor progress and offer help as needed. If the issues persist, escalate appropriately to realign scope or secure additional resources, ensuring accountability remains intact. Publicly reprimanding and terminating erodes trust and motivation and doesn’t solve the underlying problem. Ignoring the pattern lets the issue fester and damage the project and team. Doubling the workload without support is unfair and usually counterproductive, leading to burnout without addressing the real blockers.

When a team member consistently misses commitments, the best approach is to address it with private, constructive conversation that uncovers what’s stopping them and then adjust the plan to remove those obstacles. Start by asking open, nonjudgmental questions to understand blockers—these could be unclear requirements, competing priorities, insufficient resources, skill gaps, or personal issues. Once you know the root causes, work together to modify the plan: clarify expectations, re-prioritize tasks, reallocate work, break tasks into achievable steps, set interim milestones, and provide the needed support or training. Keep an ongoing line of communication to monitor progress and offer help as needed. If the issues persist, escalate appropriately to realign scope or secure additional resources, ensuring accountability remains intact.

Publicly reprimanding and terminating erodes trust and motivation and doesn’t solve the underlying problem. Ignoring the pattern lets the issue fester and damage the project and team. Doubling the workload without support is unfair and usually counterproductive, leading to burnout without addressing the real blockers.