How to Lead a Burned-Out Team Without a Performance Improvement Plan

Most leaders have one team that is not hitting its goals, and the first tool they reach for is a performance improvement plan. Janet Bernstein explains what is really going on with that team, and the very different conversation that brings people back. This one is for every leader, founder, or manager who can see the potential in their people and cannot figure out what is holding them back. Janet Bernstein is a keynote speaker, human behavior expert, and ten-time author dedicated to helping organizations build trust, improve communication, and create cultures people do not want to leave. For more than twenty years she worked in corporate leadership, learning and development, and professional training, helping individuals and teams grow through practical strategies rooted in emotional intelligence, behavioral styles, communication, executive presence, and human behavior. She has held the vice president title and led the teams, and now she steps in as the outside voice the strongest corporate leaders rarely have. She joins Amanda Kaufman to unpack burnout, the reason a PIP backfires, and what to say instead. In this episode, you will learn: 🕯️ Janet's definition of burnout: a fancy way of saying the fire has fizzled, and the reason a fizzled fire can be relit 🌪️ The candle-in-a-storm picture, and the reason burnout is often not something of your own doing ⏰ The early signs to watch for, from waking up with dread to losing patience with easy questions 🪤 The reason most people stay in what drains them: the alternative feels like a bigger leap, and obligated gratitude keeps them settled 🏆 Janet's Yeti cup story, and how to be thankful for what you have and still want more 🔟 What a struggling team of ten usually looks like: a third in survival mode, and a rogue high performer nobody disciplines 📋 What a performance improvement plan communicates to a burned-out person, and the reason it pushes them further over the edge 🎩 The third option: take off the metrics hat, put on the counselor hat, and the exact questions to ask 🤝 The reason the best leaders, like the best athletes, have coaches CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome and introducing Janet Bernstein 01:12 Everybody is a little bit burned out right now 01:57 Burnout is a fancy way of saying the fire has fizzled 03:15 The candle and the storm around it 03:43 How to know burnout is creeping in 05:37 The reason people stay in what drains them 06:53 Obligated gratitude and the settling trap 09:22 Thankful for what you have and still wanting more 11:26 What burnout looks like on a team of ten 13:21 What a performance improvement plan really does 14:53 The rogue high performer and the promotion problem 16:55 The third option: the counselor hat 17:49 If you know someone's story, it is hard to hate them up close 20:25 The leaders who look like they have it all together 22:30 The gap in corporate leadership Janet wants to fill 24:20 The best leaders have coaches 24:51 How to connect with Janet ------ CONNECT WITH JANET BERNSTEIN 🌐 Website: https://www.janetcbernstein.com 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janetcbernstein/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janetcbernstein ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@janetcbernstein 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janetbernstein1227/ ------ STAY IN THE LOOP 💌 Subscribe to The Quiet Part, Amanda's newsletter where she shares what is actually working in her business, without the performance. Sign up at: https://clairvenu.com/the-quiet-part 🎤 Want to be a guest? Amanda is always looking for guests who can help business owners build something that actually works. If that sounds like you, apply at https://clairvenu.com/the-podcast ------ LISTEN TO THE AMANDA KAUFMAN SHOW ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theamandakaufmanshow 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-amanda-kaufman-show/id1450993176 🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6htaUMvVWPHlHmpqW51Enj?si=092409891ff1420f If this episode helped you, a quick review on Apple Podcasts goes a long way. It helps the show reach more leaders who are ready to do the real work. Thank you in advance!