Shasta Head Start’s mission is to provide a positive influence for children and families in our community. Employees whose performance and behavior are substandard impede this mission and thus may need corrective action. Confronting an employee who may need corrective action is one of a supervisor’s most challenging acts.

At Shasta Head Start we expect our employees to adhere to a set of standards that their continued employment is based on. Several documents provide the framework by which these standards are created:

Shasta Head Start Mission
Personnel Policies and Procedures
NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct
Job Descriptions
Head Start Performance Standards
Head Start Act

Failure to adhere to the standards set forth above could result in the need for corrective action. At Shasta Head Start we want every employee to succeed at his/her job. It is for this reason that disciplinary action is sometimes necessary.

Skill Set vs. Mindset

Employee actions requiring corrective action most often take the form of either a skill set issue, a mindset issue, or both. Identifying which type of problem exists can help the supervisor take appropriate and meaningful action to resolve the conflict.

Coaching Algebra is a tool that helps leaders diagnose, know and understand each element of performance and the impact of only focusing on WHAT needs to be achieved, rather than also evaluating HOW and WHY goals are met or not met.

Results = How + Why

Results are an output of HOW work is done and WHY work is done the way it is done. When a leaders’ team isn’t performing, it may be because s/he isn’t focusing on the HOW and the WHY of the work, s/he is only focusing on the WHAT. Results don’t just happen. When we want to change a result, we must change how we do things and understand why we do or don’t do them.

We must always ask three questions in order to best diagnose performance challenges:

Mindset – Does the employee know what to do, but he/she doesn’t want to do it?
Skill Set – Does the employee not know what to do, but he/she wants to learn?
Both – Does the employee not know what to do, and he/she isn’t willing to learn?

A mindset issue is based on the thoughts an employee has. To resolve a mindset performance gap, the leader must focus on the employee’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The leader must uncover the limiting beliefs the employee has that are affecting their ability to progress. Additionally, the leader must create an accountability plan that establishes clear expectations and consequences if the performance doesn’t improve.

A skill set issue is based on the learning the employee has yet to do. This challenge requires the leader to teach the employee new skills. Whether the leader does the teaching or someone else does is irrelevant. The leader is still responsible for ensuring the employee has the opportunity to learn the necessary skills for her or his role. In this case, training is in order. The leader must follow up to confirm learning and a change in performance as a result.

Often, a mindset issue will present itself because the employee doesn’t have the required skill. An employee can become despondent and frustrated if repeatedly asked to do something she/he doesn’t know how to do. So, the leader’s attention is very critical at this point. The leader must accurately assess and diagnose the performance to properly lead the employee through it.