6 ChatGPT prompts to manage underperforming team members
It’s your business and it’s your name above the door. Your reputation is on the line. It’s your problem if things don’t work out. But entrepreneurs can forget that they are in charge. They hire too quickly, believing they are in a rush. They let the wrong people in, hand over tasks, and sink time and energy into making it work. But sometimes it just doesn’t work. Sometimes someone is underperforming and you have to do something about it.
Make a plan for underperforming team members, so they improve or leave without wasting any more energy. Copy, paste and edit the square brackets in ChatGPT, and keep the same chat window open so the context carries through.
Improve Your Business: ChatGPT Prompts For Managing Underperformers
Check your facts
You might suspect someone is underperforming, but do you know for sure? Suspicions and hunches just won’t cut it for having a conversation or making a plan. You need data, figures and facts that stand up to questioning. Show me where you specifically instructed someone to do something that they failed to deliver. Bring proof that your instructions were solid, and they just didn’t listen. Use this ChatGPT prompt to make absolutely sure the problem isn’t you.
“I suspect a team member, who we’ll call [enter fake name] is underperforming. Before I address this with them, help me make sure I have a case. Open a dialogue where you act as an HR consultant and ask me questions, one by one, about why I suspect their performance isn’t where it should be. Require that I draw on specific examples with evidence. Start with asking why their performance has come into question, and progress to understanding every reason.”
Define the standards
How defined are the standards for your team member’s work and your company as a whole? Do you have your goals, mission and ethos clearly defined? Could a stranger observe your company in action and know what you stood for? If you don’t know the vision, there’s no chance anyone else does. If someone is underperforming, they are not hitting the level of actions, service or results you expect of them. Understand your principles inside out, so you can reference them when assessing your team member and holding the conversation.
“Help me define the standards I set for my company, so I can be certain when someone isn’t hitting them. I will paste information from my [somewhere that describes your company, for example your about page], as well as my [somewhere that defines your personal ethos, for example your LinkedIn summary]. From the information, come up with 10 company principles that define how we operate, what we stand for, and how we go about our work. Present these 10 and ask me which are accurate and which should be changed, then keep going until we have a final 10. Present the 10 in a three-column table where column A is the name of the principle, column B is how someone adheres to this principle, and column C is the opposite of this principle. [Paste information].”
Practice what you preach
Now you have your company principles, check that you abide by them. Continue the chat with ChatGPT, asking it to quiz you on how you stand up to the rules you made. Be completely honest. Figure out where you’re leading by example and where you have work to do yourself. Once you have checked your facts, made your principles, and checked your own performance, you’ve set the foundation to let excellence ensue. The last thing you want is to have double standards.
“Quiz me about my adherence to these 10 principles. Go through each one and ask me to say how I feel my work, results and attitude adheres to each one. After I have answered all 10, highlight my strengths as a leader as well as three possible areas for improvement. The goal is that I run my company in accordance with the high standards I set for the work of everyone in my team.”
Prevent issues escalating
No one should be surprised to receive a bad appraisal. Team members should know as soon as they veer off course, otherwise problems escalate to the point of no return. A performance improvement plan is the last resort, but leaders can leave issues to bubble under the surface, not calling people out because they want to be liked. Stop that happening by being better at nipping it in the bud. Practice being assertive and sorting subpar work or the wrong attitude as the strong and confident person you are. Use this prompt to practice saying what you mean.
“I sometimes have trouble calling people out on issues early on, and want to improve. Help me practice. Simulate a series of scenarios, one by one, where a team member messes up, and ask for my actions and what I would say. When I explain what I’d do, assess my answer for assertiveness and make suggestions on phrases I could use to better get people back on track. The goal is to pull people up on subpar behaviour right at the start, so it doesn’t escalate and cause a problem in my business.”
Draft the improvement plan
If someone is underperforming, things can’t stay as they are. You’ve worked too hard to get here, you’re not about to let one bad egg ruin it for everyone else. Set the intention and make a change. Use ChatGPT to create a draft performance improvement plan, to get them back on track or highlight where they’re still falling short. Approach this with compassion; create a fair document and make sure they know you’re on their side. Address the tasks specific to their role and use the examples from the very first prompt.
“Now you know why I suspect someone is under performing, plus the goals and vision of my company and the standards we set for the work, draft a performance improvement plan for [fake name used earlier.] This should highlight areas for improvement over the next [duration, for example 30 days]. Present the plan in a four-column table, with a title of each area, the standard expected, where I believe they have fallen short and the actions that need to happen to bring this back on track. Before drafting the table, ask questions about the [number] areas to gather information.”
Prepare for the chat
You have your plan and you know what to do. Now to have the conversation. Don’t tiptoe round the edges, arrange to chat and state your case. Get ChatGPT’s help in setting up the meeting, opening the discussion and seeing it through to a productive outcome. Pre-empt their questions, and concerns and leave with everyone knowing where they stand.
“Help me prepare for a conversation with [fake name] where I explain their work isn’t at the standard required and introduce the plan. Say I’d like to hear their opinion and get their commitment to improving in line with what is expected of them and what I believe they have the potential to achieve. Outline the structure of a productive discussion, that I can follow in a [number of minutes] meeting. Include time for their questions and pre-empt concerns or questions they might have. The tone should be authoritative but not harsh, to avoid them becoming defensive.”
Get Help With HR: ChatGPT Prompts To Improve A Team Member’s Performance
You didn’t start a business to carry people. For maximum chance of success, you need winners on your team. If someone is falling short they need to know so they can rectify their behaviour and get up to speed. Check your facts to be sure of your case then define the standards you expect in your company. Hit the standards with your actions as a leader, prevent issues escalating in the first place, and get ready to bring your concerns up with the team member in question. Draft a performance improvement plan that sets them up for success then schedule the chat and lead it with confidence. Don’t sit in silence and let underperforming team members dictate your company’s future. Get intentional about making a change.
