Underperformers don't change because you ask them nicely. They only change when they can no longer avoid the consequences of not delivering.

Every time you swoop in and rescue someone, you’re filling that performance gap on their behalf. At the same time, you’re reinforcing the fact that they never have to meet an acceptable standard, if they don’t want to.

You might think you're just delivering the outcome: but you’re also unintentionally condoning unacceptable performance.

As the leader, you’re responsible for the culture… and that’s a cancer in your culture.

Every minute you spend doing someone else’s job is a minute you’re not doing your own. While your team is rewarded with extra work, they see you rewarding the poor performer with more of your time and attention.

In this Q&A episode we cover:

• Why rescuing an underperforming peer is a disaster waiting to happen: if it works they take the credit, and if it fails you’re the scapegoat;
• The soft escalation technique that puts your boss in the picture without starting a political war you can't win
• An influencing technique that brings pressure to bear on a stubborn peer, without going over their head
• Why your people can predict exactly what you'll tolerate, and how that sets the performance bar
• The reason why nobody warns you when things are going wrong, and what you can learn from big corporate failures, like Theranos, that suppress bad news
• Why an empty house is better than a bad tenant: the case for exiting your worst performer, even in a tight labour market
• How to farewell someone with dignity, while still taking the opportunity for the rest of the team to learn from the cautionary tale.

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Podcast

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You can connect with me at:

Website: https://www.yourceomentor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentor

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-moore-075b001/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YourCEOMentor

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Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally.

Your boss wants more with less. Your team wants less, full stop. You're stuck in the middle.

Leadership Beyond the Theory is 9 weeks to promotion-ready leadership.

2,800+ leaders from 150+ organisations. 99% would recommend.

Doors are now open for the June 2026 cohort, they close Fri 26 June!

Join the cohort here: https://go.leadershipbeyondthetheory.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a corporate executive and CEO, the 1:1 meeting was the single most powerful weapon I had in my leadership arsenal. It was here that I mobilised my direct reports to excel.

But even with that focus, I still left a lot to chance. It wasn’t until much later that I learned a technique to lock in people’s commitment to deliver.

If you want to get more mileage from your 1:1s, there are three questions you can ask at the end that will wildly increase the chances of your direct reports delivering.

If you want to make sure your people have extreme clarity on your expectations, have a listen to Ep.334: The Perfect Ending for a 1:1.

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You can connect with me at:

Website: https://www.yourceomentor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentor

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-moore-075b001/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YourCEOMentor

————————

Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally.

Your boss wants more with less. Your team wants less, full stop. You're stuck in the middle.

Leadership Beyond the Theory is 9 weeks to promotion-ready leadership.

2,800+ leaders from 150+ organisations. 99% would recommend.

Doors are now open for the June 2026 cohort, they close Fri 26 June!

Join the cohort here: https://go.leadershipbeyondthetheory.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your top talent doesn't always quit because they're unhappy. Often, they simply can’t see what their next move is. And if that’s the case, it’s not their fault: it’s yours!

Every leader I talk to at the moment is obsessed with retention; it feels like it's getting harder for them to hold onto their top performers. Job tenures are declining, but the averages often mask the real story.

In this episode, I explain why a scarcity mindset entices good leaders to do dumb sh!t, by playing defence at exactly the wrong moment; and I walk you through the two hardest conversations you'll have with your top talent.

If you get them wrong, you’ll lose your best people when it could have easily been avoided. But, if you get them right, you'll get more out of them for longer, even though you know you might lose them eventually.

It doesn’t matter what your team structure is… it doesn’t matter whether or not a promotion opportunity exists… your job, as a leader, is to develop, grow, and stretch every individual to bring out their best, no matter what.

Links mentioned in this episode:

No Bullsh!t Leadership episodes:

Ep.404: 8 Surprising ways to Reduce Unwanted Turnover

Wikipedia link:

Superbowl LI

BLS

US Bureau of Labor Statistics

LBT link:

Leadership Beyond the Theory

————————

You can connect with me at:

Website: https://www.yourceomentor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentor

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-moore-075b001/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YourCEOMentor

————————

Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally.

Your boss wants more with less. Your team wants less, full stop. You're stuck in the middle.

Leadership Beyond the Theory is 9 weeks to promotion-ready leadership.

2,800+ leaders from 150+ organisations. 99% would recommend.

Doors are now open for the June 2026 cohort, they close Fri 26 June!

Join the cohort here: https://go.leadershipbeyondthetheory.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.