10 Approaches to Motivate Underperforming Employees and Drive Remarkable Turnarounds
Addressing employee underperformance requires strategic approaches backed by expert insights from leadership professionals. This article presents ten effective methods to motivate struggling team members and facilitate meaningful performance improvements. Each strategy focuses on reconnecting employees with purpose, building confidence, and creating ownership opportunities that transform workplace engagement.
Transform Performance Through Guided Questioning
When I noticed a team member struggling with campaign optimization, I shifted from my typical directive approach to a coaching-oriented communication style. Instead of providing immediate solutions to problems, I began using guided questioning techniques to help the underperforming employee develop their own problem-solving capabilities. I would ask questions like "What factors do you think are affecting these results?" and "What alternative approaches might work better here?" This technique proved transformative because it helped the employee develop critical thinking skills while simultaneously increasing their sense of ownership and accountability for outcomes. The most remarkable change was seeing this team member not only improve their performance but eventually become someone who could independently troubleshoot complex campaign issues without requiring constant direction.
Reconnect Disengaged Employees to Purpose
One of the most impactful turnarounds I've seen came from a team member who'd checked out completely—missing deadlines, disengaged in meetings, and clearly just "getting through the day." The usual performance reviews weren't working, so I took a different approach: instead of talking about output, I started with curiosity.
In our one-on-one, I asked a simple question: "When was the last time you felt proud of your work?" That shifted everything. It wasn't a performance discussion—it was a reconnection. She admitted she'd felt invisible, like no one noticed the effort behind her tasks. The problem wasn't capability—it was motivation rooted in recognition.
We rebuilt her goals from the ground up, tying them not to metrics but to moments of impact—projects where her strengths could shine. I also gave her more ownership, letting her present outcomes directly to leadership instead of through layers of reporting. Within weeks, her energy shifted. Deadlines were met early, and her ideas started driving team discussions again. Six months later, she was leading initiatives she once avoided.
The biggest lesson was that underperformance is often a communication problem, not a competence one. People disengage when they feel disconnected from purpose. By listening first and designing work around what re-energizes them, you get buy-in that no KPI dashboard can measure.
What made that conversation powerful wasn't management—it was empathy. The moment she felt seen, she started showing up again. I learned that the best motivator isn't pressure—it's meaning. When people rediscover why their work matters, performance naturally follows.
Reframe Tasks to Connect With Core Motivations
We had a skilled technician who consistently neglected his documentation duties, causing team-wide issues. Instead of a formal review, I sat with him and simply asked which part of his job he enjoyed most. We then reframed the disliked task as a vital part of his passion for problem-solving, not as separate admin work. This conversation, linking the chore to his core motivation, completely turned his performance around.
Show Meaning Behind Work for Deeper Engagement
I once supported an employee who was unsure of their place within the company. Instead of focusing on targets, I invited them to experience our process from soil to skincare. We explored the meaning behind each product and discussed our shared respect for the land. Seeing the care and thought that went into every step helped them connect with the work on a deeper level.
Within weeks, their performance improved, and they became one of our most passionate advocates. I learned that the best way to motivate people is to remind them of their purpose. Connection to something real and meaningful encourages action and engagement. When people understand the impact of their work, they feel inspired and committed.
Demonstrate Tangible Impact of Quality Work
The single biggest reason a hands-on employee underperforms is not a lack of effort; it's a structural failure in commitment caused by confusion over what "quality" actually looks like. They've lost connection with the hands-on integrity of the craft.
The approach I used to motivate an underperforming employee that led to a remarkable turnaround was the Hands-On Integrity Re-Focus. I temporarily removed the craftsman from the pressure of the deadline and assigned him to a meticulous, zero-speed task in the warehouse: auditing the structural integrity of returned materials.
The specific technique that made the biggest difference was the conversation where I didn't talk about his performance. I talked about the structural cost of his hands-on failure.
I showed him piles of discarded, high-end flashing that had been improperly cut by his crew and sent back. I asked him: "Look at this perfectly good copper. We lost money on this piece not because you lack strength, but because you missed a one-eighth-inch measurement. That small hands-on failure created structural waste that costs the entire team. Your talent is to eliminate this waste."
This conversation worked because it bypassed abstract motivation and grounded his failure in objective, measurable structural truth. He realized his hands-on sloppiness wasn't just a personal mistake; it was actively bleeding the integrity of the business. By focusing him on the meticulous process of auditing quality, he regained his respect for the precise nature of the craft. The turnaround was structural and immediate, leading to higher hands-on quality from that point forward.
Shift From Correction to Ownership
Performance improved most when feedback shifted from correction to ownership. During one district technology rollout, a project coordinator consistently missed deadlines. Instead of focusing on errors, we reframed the discussion around accountability and impact—how each missed task delayed teacher training and student access. Together, we built a personal milestone tracker aligned with weekly deliverables, allowing visible progress instead of abstract goals. Once responsibility became measurable, confidence followed. Within two months, their completion rate climbed from 60 to 95 percent. The turning point was the one-on-one meeting where the question changed from "Why isn't this done?" to "What do you need to succeed this week?" That single shift in tone transformed compliance into commitment, proving that ownership outperforms oversight.
Build Confidence Through Early Wins
Setting up what I call a "win-first week." When an employee is underperforming, I start by building a plan for them to achieve a quick, tangible win within seven days, rather than immediately focusing on criticism. It might be hitting a smaller service goal, improving one customer review, or mastering a single skill. That early success rebuilds confidence, which is often the real issue.
I had a technician who was on the verge of quitting after a series of challenging customer calls. We focused on one measurable goal—improving his communication scores—and celebrated every bit of progress. Within a month, he was outperforming his peers. The key was helping him feel successful again before expecting major change. Motivation follows momentum, not lectures.
Let Underperformers Teach to Restore Value
That completely changed how I motivate underperforming employees, is letting them teach instead of defend. At Magic Pest Control, I once had a technician who struggled with consistency and confidence. Rather than giving another performance talk, I asked him to lead a short demo for newer team members on one thing he did well—bait placement. Preparing for that session made him take ownership of his work in a new way, and afterward, his numbers started climbing fast.
The key moment wasn't me correcting him—it was him seeing that he still had value to contribute. That flipped his mindset from "I'm behind" to "I'm capable." I learned that sometimes the best motivation doesn't come from coaching someone harder—it comes from reminding them they already have something worth teaching.
Listen Before Correcting to Understand Root Causes
I take the time to understand what caused the drop in performance. I recall a technician who initially performed well but later began missing appointments and appeared disengaged. Instead of jumping straight into disciplinary talks, I invited him to grab coffee off the clock. During that conversation, he admitted he was struggling with burnout and felt like no one noticed his extra effort during our busiest season. That opened my eyes—it wasn't a skills issue, it was a motivation issue. We developed a plan to temporarily adjust his route and implemented a recognition program for the team. Within a few weeks, he was back to being one of our top performers.
The biggest difference came from listening before correcting. Too often, leaders jump into fixing behavior without understanding the cause. By showing genuine interest in what was going on, I earned his trust and gave him a reason to reengage. That experience taught me that accountability and empathy can coexist—you just have to know when to use which. When people feel heard and supported, they usually find their way back to performing at their best.
Assign Meaningful Responsibility That Showcases Strengths
One approach that really turned things around for an underperforming employee was giving him ownership of a small, low-pressure project that played to his strengths. A few years back, I had a tech who was missing deadlines and seemed disengaged. Instead of piling on more oversight, I asked him to lead a mini training for new hires on how to handle attic inspections—a task he quietly excelled at but never got credit for. At first, he was hesitant, but once he realized I trusted him to teach others, his attitude shifted almost overnight. He started taking more pride in his work, showing up early, and checking in with me about how to improve the training process.
That experience reminded me that sometimes, people don't need more direction—they need responsibility that matters. Giving him that ownership reignited his confidence and turned his performance around faster than any warning or bonus could have. Since then, I've used that approach whenever someone hits a slump: find what they're naturally good at and let them lead in that space. It gives them purpose, and purpose is the best motivator there is.
