If a report was struggling to do quality work, not being productive, or decreasing team morale, I’d think to myself, If I don’t step up and show some empathy, who else will? Nobody. As their manager, this was my job. And everyone deserves a second chance. Unfortunately, 80 percent of the time, that effort—extra 1:1s, help on projects, conversations with peers, pep talks—ultimately proved futile.
