Jathan Janove, Chief Learning Officer & Master Coach
Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching®
Readers of my books and articles know that I loathe and despise the conventional PIP (Performance Improvement Plan). It’s a pernicious performance management tool. It’s adversarial. It’s hostile. It stresses out the manager providing it, which often triggers the instinct to avoid, meaning the problem festers. When issued, the PIP typically engages the employee’s amygdala (fight or flight) vs. prefrontal cortex (solution-oriented analysis). The PIP does no good in developing relationships based on mutual trust, respect, and collaboration.
As a former employment law attorney, I can add that the PIP is also a bad idea from a claim prevention and claim defense perspective.
Here’s a proposed alternative: the RIP. RIP does not stand for “Rest in Peace”—except when we’re referring to the PIP. Rather, RIP stands for “Relationship Improvement Plan.”
When employees fall short of your expectations, whether it’s attendance, reliability, interpersonal conduct, or the quantity or quality of work, it undoubtedly affects your relationship. To close the expectation gap, focus primarily on the relationship, not the performance. The desired performance improvement is not the end; it’s the means to an end—a relationship mutually grounded in trust and confidence.
Whereas the PIP leads by telling, the RIP leads by listening. Essentially, the RIP shifts the focus from the amygdala to the prefrontal cortex.
Caution: the RIP is not a template. Don’t try to create one. Here are the essential RIP steps:
The No-FEAR conversation, as described here. (No-FEAR is a variation of the EAR, as described here).
The Same Day Summary, as described here.
The Crossroads, as described here.
When I’ve helped organizational leaders and HR professionals move from PIP to RIP, the response I inevitably get is a smiling OMG!
Learn how to RIP, and you’ll never again PIP.
PS: If you’d like to learn more about leadership and coaching tools and practices, click the Resources page on the MGSCC.net website.
Jathan Janove is a former attorney previously recognized by his State Bar as “Employment Lawyer of the Year.” Currently, he serves as Master Coach and Chief Learning Officer for Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching, a worldwide executive leadership coaching organization. He is the author, most recently, of The HR Renaissance: From Legal Guard to Growth Partner. He’s also the author of The 8 Deadly Sins of Mismanagement, The Star Profile – A Management Tool to Unleash Employee Potential, Hard-Won Wisdom – Lessons from the Workplace Trenches, and Breakthrough: How Stakeholder Centered Coaching® Transformed the Executive Coaching Industry.
