A performance improvement plan has a bad reputation.
Often it deserves it. Some are written after the decision is already made, to build a file. The rep can feel it, and nothing improves.
A fair plan is different. It is a real attempt to help someone succeed, and in my teams it has four parts.
The gap, in facts. What the field days and the numbers show. The same facts the rep can see.
What good looks like. Clear enough that nobody has to guess what success means.
The support I give. Double visits, practice, time. A plan with no help in it is a warning, not a plan.
The review dates. We look at progress together, on dates we both agreed, so there are no surprises at the end.
Two more things matter to me.
I agree the plan with HR before the conversation, so the process is fair and consistent for everyone.
And I write it so the rep can pass it. The best outcome of a plan is that it closes because it worked.
“If you would not be glad to see the rep pass, it is not an improvement plan.”
Lesson 2 of 6 in Step 6: Managing performance, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.