One of the most painful lessons I’ve seen managers learn—often the hard way—is this: trying to raise the performance of the bottom 25% of your team is, more often than not, a huge waste of time and energy.
How do you even know if someone’s an underperformer? It’s not always obvious. Sometimes, their incompetency has been normalized or excused as “quirks.” Maybe they’re older, not tech-savvy, and instead of adapting, they cling to outdated tools and methods. I’ve seen it firsthand—people using calculators and notepads in place of basic software. Others try to manage complex project timelines in Excel instead of using actual project management platforms. Some still insist on phone calls when Zoom (and its ability to record and track info) is clearly the more efficient option. These choices may seem harmless, but they cause inefficiencies, lost information, and ultimately… lost time.
It’s not an easy truth to swallow. Maybe you genuinely like the person. Maybe they’ve been with the company for years. Maybe, in theory, they could be retrained. And sometimes, sure, people do grow when given the right tools and enough support.
But here’s where things get tricky: you’re already firefighting. You barely have time to think, let alone retrain someone who doesn’t even want to change. So you keep going in circles, sacrificing your sanity and productivity, hoping things will magically improve. Spoiler: they won’t.
We’ve all been sold the Hollywood hero-manager myth—the one who swoops in, inspires the team, and transforms even the weakest players into stars. It’s a feel-good story. It’s also a fantasy.
I’ve watched managers fall into this trap again and again. They develop a savior complex, thinking that if they just tweak the culture, deliver the perfect pep talk, hire another consultant that an underperforming team won’t leverage, or create the right incentives, everything will click. But performance doesn’t rise evenly. Not everyone wants to grow. Not everyone can keep up.
We all know that pushing a high-performer just a little further usually yields exponential results. But trying to turn a bottom-tier player into a top-tier contributor? That’s like trying to turn a football champion into a pro golfer. They might get the basics, but they’re never going to win tournaments. And the energy you spend trying to make that happen could’ve been used to fuel the people already equipped to deliver results.
The True Art of Management
One of the most underappreciated skills in management is knowing how to evaluate your team’s strengths—and then lean into them.
Your job isn’t to make everyone a rockstar. Your job is to maximize output by strategically investing your time. Help your solid performers manage their weaknesses (not eliminate them), and put structures in place that allow your strongest people to shine. When you stop trying to “fix” the wrong people and start supporting the right ones, everything changes. Engagement improves. Stress decreases. Results speak for themselves.
This isn’t about ignoring poor performance—it’s about avoiding the emotional and mental trap of pouring all your energy into trying to correct a mismatch that’s not going to go away.
Managers aren’t saviors. They’re strategists.
· Focus on your high and mid-performers.
· Help them manage their weaknesses.
· Build systems to support—not “save.”
This Applies Beyond Teams—It Applies to You, Too
This mindset shift doesn’t just apply to managing teams. It’s just as critical if you’re a solo practitioner or small business owner.
I’ve seen brilliant lawyers, accountants, designers—you name it—try to do it all. They become their own assistant, bookkeeper, social media manager, and operations lead, thinking they’re being scrappy or efficient. But more often than not, they end up overwhelmed and underperforming.
Trying to do it all isn’t a strength—it’s a liability. Your business doesn’t grow because you grind harder. It grows because you focus harder—on the work you do best—and get support for the rest.
Your strength is your engine. Fuel it. Protect it. Delegate the rest.
When you stay in your zone of genius and delegate or outsource what drags you down, the difference is night and day. Not only will your business start scaling faster, but you’ll also reclaim your energy, creativity, and peace of mind.
Stop trying to fix the unfixable. Whether it’s underperformers on your team or the self-inflicted pressure to master every role in your business, your time is too valuable to waste on turning weaknesses into strengths.
Double down on what’s working. Invest in the right people. Build the right systems.
That’s how you stop treading water—and start building something great.
Maribel Topf has over a decade of teaching companies to transform their businesses through operational excellence. Please join https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14445339/ Lean Office Excellence for more stories into creating a culture of operational excellence.
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