Counseling Project Team Members During a Turnaround

The Situation:  it's a stressed project, with time and budget pressure.  Team members are working hard, but exhibiting behaviors that are less than optimal.  They are good, qualified professionals, and need counseling to get back on track.

Opening
- Put the team member at ease
- State the purpose of the discussion (i.e., discuss how things have been going)
Request the team member's point of view
- Ask how he/she sees the job and working conditions, and how it's going
- Ask for problems that need to be discussed
Present your view of the issues and team member's performance
- Begin with a summary of the issues, recognizing successes and accomplishments
- Follow with the specific improvement opportunities - stick to the facts, not opinions
- Be firm, remembering this part of the discussion is essential to building the foundation for future improvements
- Stay on topic and don't get distracted onto unrelated topics or by making comparisons to other team members
Specify improvements needed and options
- Summarize where improvements are needed and why
- Offer future work or advancement opportunities should the improvements be implemented and sustained
- Discuss consequences of not implementing the improvements and changing behavior
- Obtain agreement from the team member, so the team member takes ownership
- Agree to a plan of improvements, dates and outcomes
Feedback
- Ask for questions specific to the discussion or of general concern
Close
- End the discussion with a "thank you" and encouragement to move forward