Everyone Should Be on a PIP

Few acronyms make employees as uneasy as "PIP." In most organizations, being placed on a Performance Improvement Plan means one thing: you're at risk of losing your job. The plan becomes the first step toward termination. But perhaps we have it backwards?

A Performance Improvement Plan, used well, can be one of the most valuable tools a leader has in their tool belt. It gives an employee clear expectations, a defined trajectory, and a leader dedicating time to helping them get where they want to go.

That kind of investment should never be seen as a punishment. It's an asset.

So what if we stopped saving PIPs only for people we want (or need) to let go and instead give them to everyone?

No one is beyond the possibility of growth, from your top performer to the new hire who started two weeks ago. Both deserve work plans built with purpose.

If you're not on a PIP today, maybe ask your supervisor to put you on one. Frame it as a request for growth at the company, because that's exactly what it is. And if you lead people and are invested in them and their careers, put them on PIPs, not out of spite, but because you care and want them to improve.

The best growth-focused PIPs are employee-driven and supervisor-supported.

The employee sets the direction for where they want to go and grow, and the leader provides the resources, structure, and accountability to make it happen. The two meet every couple of weeks for a brief check-in to talk about progress. Not updates on projects or to put out fires, but how they are developing professionally.

Employee and leader should work to define success clearly and specifically. In a recent Inc. article, Naomi Carmen points out that most PIPs fail because employees are told to improve but not told what to change. Vague feedback helps no one. I recommend her framework as a good starting point.

When every member of a team has a performance plan, and someone is invested in their improvement, a PIP stops being a warning and becomes a promise. We are committed to growing together, from good to Remarkable!

If I can help you build a PIP or structure your one-on-ones, please reach out.