How Founders can Manage Team Performance

If you can commit to clarity for your team, you'll be amazed at the results. Here’s what my HR team trained supeevisors and revamped our organizational approach and how you can take similar action: 1. Clarify Roles: Ensure everyone understands their responsibilities. Regularly update job descriptions to reflect the current expectations and eliminate ambiguity. (We had impact descriptions made for every employee by their supervisors and trained supervisors on creating them effectively) 2. Create SMART KPIs: Develop Key Performance Indicators that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, instead of saying, "Improve customer satisfaction," specify, "Increase customer satisfaction scores by 15% within the next quarter." This gives your team a clear target to aim for. 3. Provide Specific Feedback: Regularly offer constructive feedback and openly praise behaviors you want to encourage. This not only reinforces positive actions but also sets a standard for the entire team. 4. Set Clear Expectations: By establishing clear performance metrics, you allow team members to see how their contributions directly impact organizational goals. This clarity reduces confusion and fosters collaboration. 5. Review and Adapt: Implement a system for reviewing KPIs and job descriptions every six months. This ensures they remain relevant and aligned with business objectives. 6. Transform Performance Reviews: Shift to narrative-based evaluations that include not just performance metrics, but also recommendations for development and a list of stakeholders for collaboration. By embracing clarity and structured performance metrics, you empower your team to excel, reduce frustration, and foster a truly collaborative environment. Commit to this approach and watch your team thrive! #TeamCulture #Leadership #PerformanceManagement #PeopleOfficer #HRInsights #SMARTGoals

Why Most Leaders Get This One Thing Completely Backward (and It’s Costing Them Performance) Here’s the brutal truth: you’re not responsible for the numbers. You’re responsible for the people who are responsible for the numbers.– Simon Sinek That shift in mindset changed everything for me. When I first stepped into a leadership role, I focused on reports, spreadsheets, and bottom-line results. But despite the long hours and tracking KPIs, performance plateaued. Why? Because I was managing data, not leading people. Then I learned this core leadership truth: Healthy teams drive healthy numbers. That’s when I made the shift—from pressure to presence. From metrics to mentorship. And the results? • Turnover dropped by 34% in 6 months • Team productivity increased by 47% in 90 days • We exceeded our quarterly goals—without burning out the team Why? Because people who feel seen, heard, and empowered take ownership of results. So if you’re a new manager, executive, or business owner and feel stuck chasing metrics, ask yourself: “Am I leading people, or just managing performance?” Here’s what to do: 1. Prioritize one-on-ones (people before performance reports) 2. Develop trust through active listening 3. Coach instead of control This isn’t just feel-good leadership—it’s measurable. It’s strategic. It’s sustainable. Want a real-world framework to make this shift? DM me DRIVE for my leadership white paper: “3 Ways Great Leaders Drive Results WITHOUT Chasing Numbers” you’ll: • Learn the people-first principle that top-performing leaders use • Hear a real story of how I turned around a stagnant team • Get a repeatable framework you can use this week If you lead people—this message is for you. You can’t control the numbers, but you can inspire the people who do. Lead smarter. Lead better. Lead human. #LeadershipDevelopment #CoachingCulture #PeopleFirstLeadership

Before I was a CEO, I was a VP. And before that, a director. And then a VP.  Before I was first a founder. Those management teams weren’t perfect, and I wouldn’t copy everything they did. But at least I got to observe how a few seasoned CEOs managed their executive teams. For better and for worse. So … just one bit of advice. There are two things you just gotta do, even if you don’t see the point or want to. 1️⃣ First, you have to have weekly Executive Staff (“eStaff” or just plain “Staff”) Meetings. Every week. At a set time. and 2️⃣ Second, you have to find a way to do 1-on-1 meetings with all your direct reports. At least every two weeks. And once a week in some cases. These aren’t meant to be mini-performance reviews. In fact, I don’t care if you do performance reviews ever with your VPs and direct reports, at least. But here’s the thing. Neither of these meetings are about you — or what you need. It’s about them. 👉 First, if you don’t do it now, start a weekly, 30-minute (at first — then later, longer) staff meeting every Monday afternoon at 2pm. Starting next week. All your VPs and direct reports in each functional area (Sales, Marketing, Engineering, Product, Support, Success) should be there. And everyone should provide a 5-minute update on how they are doing versus goals. And then, share what you are doing this week yourself. So everyone knows. And yes, you need an agenda. Which you need to circulate before the actual meetings. This won’t help you much. You sort of already know what everyone is doing. But trust me, your team — they don’t really communicate with each other as much as they should. This will force them to. You can tease out a status update from every functional area. Every week. And make sure whatever the agenda is, what it means is there are No Surprises. Wherever any functional area is coming up short, it will be seen well ahead of time. When everyone else still has time to help. 👉 Then, second, find a way to do 1-on-1s with each VP and direct report. Yes, I know you do not have time for this. But remember, it’s not about you. Your VPs and reports need an unstructured time with you, at least every 2 weeks, where they can provide updates. Vent. Share their fears and concerns. Their anxieties. And you can help them. Pump them up. Or just be their psychiatrist, sometimes. You won’t learn a lot from these conversations either, per se. Not from the facts. But you’ll learn what your team needs help with to do Even Better. And once you have a real management team, that’s your job. To back-fill the team. To help them — not where they are strong. They can do what they are good at without you. But you need to back-fill where they are weak. Sometimes, without them even realizing it completely. eStaff meetings once a week, and 1-on-1s every 2 weeks. That enables you to make sure the team communicates. And to make sure you are helping the best on your team where you really, truly, actually can help.

90% of leaders think their teams are effective. Only 15% actually are. Where do you fall? If you've been struggling with team performance, I've got a framework that transformed my own leadership approach. The traditional way to build teams focuses on individual performance. We hire for skills, evaluate based on output, and reward personal achievement. But this approach misses something critical: true high-performance comes from how people work together, not just how skilled they are individually. In my experience leading multiple teams across different industries, I've found a simple but powerful approach: 1. Establish Clear Goals  Not just what needs to be done, but why it matters. When team members understand the purpose behind their work, motivation soars. 2. Foster Open Communication Create an environment where everyone feels safe to share ideas, concerns, and feedback. The best solutions often come from unexpected voices. 3. Emphasize Collaboration Set up systems that reward collective achievements over individual heroics. This shifts the focus from "me" to "we." 4. Celebrate Diversity Different perspectives lead to better decisions and more creative solutions. Actively seek out and value varying viewpoints. 5. Lead by Example Show the behaviors you want to see. If you want collaboration, collaborate. If you want open communication, communicate openly. High-performing teams don't happen by accident. They're built intentionally. What's one team-building practice that's worked well for you? ✍️ Your insights can make a difference! ♻️ Share this post if it speaks to you, and follow me for more.

I’ve built hundreds of teams in life and business. Some small — and some big teams making $10mm+ decisions. Here are 9 principles I use to craft high-performing teams: 🧵 👇 * The Peacemaker Principle It’s tempting to create a team of all hard-chargers. Rookie mistake. High-performing teams often include a “people person." These personalities naturally defuse minor conflicts in the team before they get big. * The Clear Mission Principle Great teams need a North Star. Can the team make a difference? What purpose do they serve? Create an inspiring mission to perform at the highest level. The whole team should know their WHY. * Skin in the Game Principle Teams perform best when personally incentivized to succeed. This can be ownership, a bonus, or a promotion. Or non-monetary rewards like acclaim or recognition. Tie personal outcome to the team outcome -- and win more. * The Anchors Away Principle Those projects when you covered for weak teammates? Do not ask your stars to cover weaker contributors regularly. Best case, it slows them down. Worst case, the whole thing implodes. * The Benetton Principle Teams with a variety of backgrounds and cultures perform better. This isn’t just about DEI lip service. Studies show diverse teams produce more patents than average. It’s not just right – it’s good business. * The No Responsibility Without Authority Principle Responsibility = “you own this” Authority = “you have the power to enact change.” If you don’t give a team both, they will feel powerless. Or worse, like they're working on a pointless project. * The Hierarchy Principle Sure, it’d be nice not to pick a leader for your team. But business isn’t a commune, a potluck, or a campfire. You get the best results with a single person leading. And accountable for the team's performance. * The We Are Humans Principle Get the team out of the office. Encourage them to know each other personally. Have fun. Build trust. Be people — even at the office. Studies show the highest-performing teams bond over non-work topics. * The Swoop Principle Sometimes you need to get in there. Email wars? Tell them to pick up the phone. Stupid meetings? Do some coaching! Is good work happening? Compliment! Leaders must step in when needed.

I used to think micromanaging was the key to success—until it nearly cost me my best people. I realized at Pearl Talent that team performance comes down to how much control you're willing to let go of. Here are the 4 tough lessons I learned: 1. Burnout kills potential: Micromanagement feels like control, but it burns people out. Constant hovering and second-guessing drains both you and your team. It leads to stress, exhaustion, and overthinking—pushing everyone to the brink. 2. Creativity needs freedom: When employees feel watched 24/7, they play it safe. Fear of making mistakes kills innovation. Our impressions improved by 40% when I let my team experiment and try new strategies. Creativity thrives when people feel trusted, not controlled. 3. Trust is everything: Micromanagement at its core says, “I don’t trust you.” And when trust is broken, productivity follows—dropping by as much as 85%. Morale tanks, and the work environment becomes toxic. You’re not leading; you’re controlling, and that’s a recipe for a disengaged, unproductive team. 4. Satisfaction = Retention: When employees feel like they can never get it right, even after giving their best, it’s crushing. They begin to believe they're not good enough, which leads to frustration and burnout. Employee satisfaction isn’t about meeting expectations—it’s about feeling valued and trusted. Been building teams for 2 years now, both internally and for some of the fastest-growing companies in the States. If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that micromanagement might get results in the short term, but in the long run, you’ll lose your best people and your company’s growth will stall. The pattern is clear — the companies that scale fastest are the ones that are ready to unlearn and relearn this. Shifting  to a culture of trust and empowerment does more than just boost morale. It allows both  teams and businesses to thrive. Because when they feel trusted, they go above and beyond—driving the company to double its success. If you need expert advice on how founders are reducing burn while building unstoppable teams, reach out. Let’s riff on how you can make it happen with Pearl Talent. 💪

The highest-performing team I've ever worked with was the Quip team. Our engineering team was incredibly fast at shipping improvements and features in the product. They were more productive than most teams 10x their size. It was unlike anything I had seen before or since. Neither of the cofounders managed the hours that people were working or where they worked; they didn’t manage how the work got done. Their management was all about alignment (do people understand what’s important, what we’re building, and why) and clear expectations (“we need to ship this feature by this date”). A really common pattern I see in a lot of leaders who have never managed people before (I’m looking at you, founders) is managing the “how” not the “what”. I had this tendency when I first started managing too – to manage how people did things instead of what they produced. It’s especially true for those new managers who are detail-oriented, high performing, and opinionated about what quality looks like (which typically is what made them successful in the first place). Controlling how work gets done only makes your company slower. It implies that you don’t trust people and certainly that you’re not interested in their opinions, creativity, or ideas. If you spend your time controlling the “how”, you miss all the best parts of building a team and all the true power that comes from enabling people to find the solution that they think is best. It’s tempting to manage how employees work. But in 90% of cases, what really matters is: Did you hit the goal? The key to exceptional management is to get great at defining the “what”. As a leader, you need to know how to create alignment, how to clarify what you expect, and how to communicate all of it. I wrote a bit more about this over on Substack: https://lnkd.in/gbZpD7_e