8 Ways to Deal with Difficult Team Members to Achieve Peak Performance

As a leader, dealing with difficult team members is an inevitable challenge. How you manage these situations can define your leadership and the overall performance of your team. Rather than seeing difficult employees as problems, you can transform them into assets by employing the right strategies and focusing on performance management.

Here’s how to navigate the complexities and get the best performance out of every team member, even the challenging ones.

1. Identify the Root Cause

Before addressing a difficult team member’s behavior, understand why they’re acting the way they are. Their attitude could stem from feeling disconnected from the company’s mission, personal issues, or simply not knowing what’s expected of them.

Start by having a private, open conversation. Ask: What challenges are you facing? How can I support you? This shows empathy and helps you uncover the true issue. Often, when employees feel heard, they become more engaged, and their behavior improves.

2. Set Clear Expectations and Goals

One of the top reasons employees underperform is due to unclear expectations. As a leader, it’s your job to provide crystal-clear guidance. Define specific, measurable goals that align with your team’s objectives and ensure the employee understands how their work impacts the larger goals.

A great approach is using the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to set objectives. Instead of saying, “You need to improve your attitude,” try offering a specific task, like “Facilitate two team meetings this month and share a project update.”

Performance tracking tools like Moonshot can help here by ensuring that goals are clear and measurable, providing real-time feedback and insights on individual performance.

3. Turn Challenges into Coaching Opportunities

Rather than viewing a difficult team member as a problem to fix, see it as an opportunity for growth. Difficult moments provide some of the best opportunities for coaching. When employees face challenges, use these as moments to guide and support them.

Ask them how they would handle certain situations differently. This encourages self-reflection and critical thinking, allowing them to develop the problem-solving skills necessary for future challenges.

4. Provide Consistent and Constructive Feedback

Feedback is essential for performance management, especially with difficult employees. It’s important to provide feedback regularly—not just when things go wrong. Make feedback sessions part of your ongoing leadership practice, focusing not only on correcting behavior but also celebrating improvements.

When delivering feedback, be specific. Rather than saying, “You’re not a team player,” focus on the behavior: “During the last project, I noticed you didn’t communicate updates to the team, which caused delays.”

Positive reinforcement is equally important. Recognize even small improvements, as this can significantly motivate underperforming employees.

5. Tailor Your Approach

Every team member is different. Some employees need direct oversight, while others thrive with autonomy. To get the best performance, tailor your leadership style to suit the individual’s needs.

Observe how each difficult team member responds to different management styles. Do they perform better with close supervision or when given more freedom? By aligning your leadership style with their preferences, you empower them to contribute more effectively.

6. Incentivize Improvement

Often, difficult employees feel unappreciated or unnoticed. Incentivize improvement with rewards and recognition. It doesn’t always have to be monetary; sometimes public recognition or added responsibility can be a powerful motivator.

Employees who feel valued are more likely to align with team goals and contribute positively. Make it clear that their efforts are noticed and that there are rewards for consistent improvement.

7. Promote Accountability

Accountability is crucial for managing difficult team members. Ensure that everyone understands the consequences of their actions. By creating a performance review system and holding regular check-ins, you can reinforce a culture of responsibility.

With a tool like Moonshot, tracking performance and setting clear expectations becomes more manageable. It helps ensure accountability by regularly measuring and reviewing individual progress.

8. Know When to Let Go

Sometimes, despite all efforts, a difficult employee continues to disrupt the team or fails to meet expectations. Knowing when to part ways is essential to protecting the overall health of the team.

Before reaching this point, ensure all steps have been taken to support the employee’s growth. If improvement isn’t achieved despite ongoing support, it may be time to consider other options.

Conclusion: Leading Towards Peak Performance

Managing difficult team members is one of the greatest tests of leadership. By approaching the situation with empathy, setting clear goals, providing regular feedback, and promoting accountability, you can turn even the most challenging employees into valuable contributors.

Through structured performance management systems like Moonshot, leaders can track, measure, and continuously improve their team’s output, helping ensure every member is aligned with the company’s goals and contributing at their highest potential.