Is it possible that our interview candidates are telling ‘porkies’?! Time and again over recent months when asked for their best example of managing under performance I am hearing about the person who wasn’t really lacking in ability or motivation it was just a ‘matter of confidence’. Then we hear how the candidate worked with / coached / mentored said individual providing support, guidance, information and motivation – through to greatness.

I am suspicious. All poor performers are now just ‘lacking confidence’. What has happened to the person who develops the ‘3 Mondays out of 4 sick syndrome’, the individual with chronic timekeeping, the colleague who is ratty with colleagues, rude to customers or downright belligerent with everyone? Then there’s the disappointed promotion candidate who systematically takes revenge on the Team or Company. Or the individual who has just a few years left until retirement and their motto is ‘keep the head down, never volunteer, don’t put myself out…. as “there’s not too much time left” which they keep saying. There’s also that top performing person who exceeds all targets but they never let anyone forget, they’re very condescending to the ‘poor mortals’ (their term) and they even act superior to the manager on occasion. What about the pair who haven’t spoken to each other for months (years?) the body language signals in team meetings communicate downright disdain, caustic comments are regular with mutterings that might be slanderous if anyone could hear them clearly. There’s also the person who is dishonest. Or finally that person who shows a complete inability (and I’m not talking about a simple skill deficit here) or unwillingness to do the work???

Back to my suspicion. There’s some organisation or individual out there preparing people for interview and they are advising the above minimum risk (minimum reality?) strategy. Please stop.

If you’re going for an interview and it is for a management / leadership position please don’t take this approach. If you don’t have experience addressing a significant performance issue – just say so. Think about times you worked with someone – maybe even as a colleague / team mate who was problematic, describe what you said / did that helped. Or what the manager said or did – and what you learned from that. Thank you.