Imagine you’ve just been promoted to Team Lead.
Same team, new title. You’re excited, but nervous.
You’re about to lead people who, until yesterday, were your peers. During the handover, your manager brings up something delicate:
There’s a performance concern on the team.
Someone who's work takes significantly longer than other team members.
Obvious things are regularly missed.
Too many fixes in review.
It’s been going on for a while. You already know who they’re talking about.
You’ve seen it too. But here’s the thing: you never said anything.
Not to them. Not to the Team Lead.
You thought it wasn’t your place.
And now… it is. You decide to talk to them directly. You ask about the missed expectations.
They say they feel singled out, like they’re being judged unfairly. You take a breath. And you let them know:
“You’re not being singled out. I saw the same thing. Before I was Team Lead.” That moment changes everything. Because now it’s not just a manager saying it.
It’s a teammate. A peer. Someone who worked alongside them, saw the same patterns, and still thinks they’re worth investing in. I think the incoming team lead did exactly the right thing by facing into the problem head on.
Everyone agrees the team member is a good addition to the team, they're just not reaching their full potential. The new Team Lead has laid a good foundation to support the team member through it.
Until next time,
Dermot
The Messy Middle ✉️ Enjoying The Messy Middle?
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