Not all underperformance is the same.
In professional services, performance issues are often labelled quickly — someone’s not meeting billing targets, not proactive with clients, or not managing deadlines.
But when you look closer, the reasons are rarely simple.
Sometimes it’s a skills gap — they haven’t yet built the technical, commercial, or leadership capability their role now demands.
Sometimes it’s motivation — they can do it, but something has changed in how they feel about the work or environment.
And sometimes it’s context — workload, unclear priorities, or leadership behaviours that make it hard to succeed.
Helping leaders look in the mirror
Most people don’t start with low motivation.
If you’ve hired them, it’s because they’ve shown capability, drive, and potential.
So when that motivation fades, it’s important to help leaders look at what might have shifted around the individual — and often, at their own role in that change.
This is where HR and L&D can have the most impact.
Leaders often need a nudge to pause and ask:
“What might I be doing — or not doing — that’s contributing to this?”
Some of the most common patterns include:
- Micromanaging rather than trusting.
- Focusing only on delivery, not growth.
- Forgetting to connect the day-to-day work to the bigger picture.
- Holding too much control and leaving little room for ownership.
- Being emotionally reactive or inconsistent.
- Simply not being available when support is needed.
None of these come from bad intent.
They come from pressure — and from leaders who are stretched too thin to notice the impact they’re having.
But over time, these habits drain motivation and confidence.
By the time underperformance shows up, it’s often the symptom, not the cause.
Why diagnosis matters
Adding more oversight or feedback won’t fix the wrong problem.
The Skill / Will / Environment framework helps leaders pause and diagnose what’s really happening:
- Skill: Do they know how to do it, to the level expected?
- Will: Do they still feel motivated, valued, and trusted?
- Environment: Are there barriers — workload, systems, or leadership style — getting in the way?
The real power of this model is the reflection it prompts.
When leaders ask, “What do I need to change so they can succeed?”, performance conversations shift from blame to partnership.
How HR and L&D can help
You can help leaders move away from a “fix the person” mindset to a “understand the system” mindset.
You might:
- Use the Skill / Will / Environment framework to guide coaching and reflection.
- Encourage leaders to consider what might have changed in their own behaviour before assuming motivation has dropped.
- Support them to rebuild motivation through clarity, trust, and opportunity — not pressure.
Most people want to do well.
If they’ve stopped, something in the environment — often leadership — has made that harder.
The question to leave them with:
What’s really driving this performance gap — and what might your role be in it?
