PIPs exist* because managers fail to communicate expectations BEFORE big failures occur.
The problem:
Most people don’t quit their companies, they quit their managers.
AND
Many managers aren't trained in leadership, and most of that training doesn't work anyway.
Your manager most likely doesn’t know how to manage very well. The company is most likely not going to effectively teach them.
So, just do it yourself. Here’s how:
Call a weekly 10-minute meeting with your manager. Before each meeting, listen to Last Time That I Checc’d by Nipsey Hussle.
Now you’re ready. In the meeting:
Lay out your understanding of your manager's expectations
List what you’ve done against those expectations
Ask them if there’s anything you’re missing
Encourage criticism and thank them for it
Go crush the week
Do it again next week
Follow up each meeting with a SHORT email that simply states what they asked for, what you did, and how you delivered beyond that. Bullets, military style, no response required. Over time, you're building a written record of you exceeding your manager's expectations.
For bigger leaps, such as getting a raise or a promotion, just do a six-month version of the above (set expectations, attach an outcome to them, then exceed them).
The beauty of this is that in the process of teaching your manager how to manage, you’re also training yourself.
Soon, you’ll be the manager.
* PIPs don't ONLY exist because managers are bad at managing. They also exist because employees are terrible at employeeing. But terrible employees aren't reading this, so I left that part out.
