TL;DR
Before you have “the conversation,” diagnose which of the 5Rs has broken down. Most underperformance traces back to unclear expectations, missing recognition, or unresolved blockers — not laziness.
You’ve noticed it. The deadlines sliding. The quality dropping. The energy gone from someone who used to show up differently.
Your instinct says: they need a talking to. A warning. A performance review. Maybe they’re just not right for the role.
Hold that thought.
In my years of managing teams, I’ve learned that underperformance is almost never about the person. It’s about the system around them. Something broke. Something was never built properly in the first place. And until you find it, no conversation will fix it.
The 5R Leadership Framework gives you a diagnostic. Before you react, run through each R and ask: did this break down?
The 5R Diagnostic
Run Through Each R. Find the Failure.
Work through these in order. Be honest with yourself. Most managers skip straight to the conversation. The best ones diagnose first.
Does this person know what actually matters right now?
If your team has 12 priorities, they have zero. People underperform when they’re spread across too many things and finishing none. They look slow — but they’re drowning, not drifting.
Signs this R broke down
They’re busy but completing nothing. They’re working on the wrong things. They couldn’t tell you their top priority if you asked right now.
Were the standards ever made explicitly clear?
This is the big one. Most performance issues are expectation failures disguised as capability failures. You assumed they knew the standard. They assumed a different standard was acceptable. Nobody checked.
Signs this R broke down
They seem surprised when you raise the issue. They say “I didn’t know that was expected.” The standards were communicated once and never revisited. You’ve been tolerating drift.
When was the last time you acknowledged what they did well?
People who only hear from their manager when something’s wrong stop trying. Not consciously. The motivation just bleeds away. If your only interaction with this person has been correction, you’ve created a withdrawal account with no deposits.
Signs this R broke down
They’ve gone quiet. They do the minimum. They used to volunteer and now they don’t. You can’t remember the last time you said something positive to them specifically.
Is something blocking them that you haven’t identified?
Broken tools. Missing information. A process that adds 30 minutes to every task. A colleague who doesn’t deliver their part. Sometimes people underperform because they literally can’t perform — and they’ve stopped telling you because nothing changed the last time they did.
Signs this R broke down
They’ve raised issues before and nothing happened. Workarounds have become the norm. You haven’t asked “what’s slowing you down?” in a while.
Are you demonstrating the standard you’re expecting?
The hardest question. If you’re asking for punctuality but you’re late to meetings. If you’re asking for accountability but you don’t follow through on your own commitments. Your team’s ceiling is your example. They won’t say it — but they see everything.
Signs this R broke down
The standard you’re frustrated about is one you’ve been inconsistent with yourself. The whole team is drifting, not just one person. You haven’t been visible during challenging periods.
From the Floor
What This Looks Like in Real Life
Real Scenario
I had a team member — reliable for two years — suddenly missing standards. Quality dropped. Deadlines slipped. My first instinct was to pull them aside and address it directly. Instead, I ran the 5R.
Reprioritise: I’d given them three new responsibilities in two months without removing anything from their plate. They were drowning.
Reset Expectations: I’d assumed the standards were obvious. They weren’t — especially for the new tasks.
Recognise: I realised I hadn’t acknowledged their consistently good work for weeks. All my feedback had been corrective.
Three of the five Rs had broken down. The conversation I needed to have wasn’t about their performance. It was about mine.
— Nelson Fernandes
After the Diagnostic
Now Have the Conversation
Once you know which R broke down, the conversation changes completely. You’re not accusing — you’re diagnosing together.
Open with honesty. Not “we need to talk about your performance.” That triggers defence mode in everyone. Instead:
✓ SAY THIS
→ “I want to have an honest conversation because I think I’ve missed something on my end.”
→ “I believe you can do this. Something’s getting in the way — let’s find it.”
→ “What’s one thing I could change that would help you perform better?”
✗ AVOID THIS
✗ “Your performance has been unacceptable.”
✗ “Everyone else manages this fine.”
✗ “If this doesn’t improve, there’ll be consequences.”
The first set opens a door. The second set slams it shut. You might still need to have the hard conversation later — but start by finding out if the system failed the person before you decide the person failed the system.
Your Next 24 Hours
One Thing to Do Right Now
Before your next shift or meeting, write down which of the 5Rs you think has broken down for the person you’re concerned about. Just one or two. Then ask yourself: “What’s the one thing I can change on my side before I ask them to change on theirs?” Start there.
Put the 5R to Work
The 5R Leadership Toolkit includes conversation scripts, daily trackers, and the one-page framework reference. Everything you need to lead with clarity.
Get the 5R Toolkit — £12
Instant download · Templates + scripts + daily tracker
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