"In my current role as a program manager, I have indirect oversight over the engineers on our product development teams. The engineers do not report to me directly, but I provide feedback on their performance and help to manage their workloads. There was a senior engineer on one of my teams who constantly underperformed. He frequently missed deadlines and his work typically needed revision. I met with his manager to discuss the problem and he informed me that he would handle it.
Months went by and the issue was not addressed. The junior engineers on the team were frustrated because they were being paid less and were asked to do more to pick up the slack. I decided to have a conversation with the senior engineer directly. I let him know that his work quality was an issue and that the other members of the team were struggling with it. I explained how the problem impacted the team, our goals, and our customers. He was shocked and went on to tell me that he was anticipating a promotion soon.
I let him know that his manager was also aware of the performance issues and that it would be unlikely for him to be promoted anytime soon. I assured him that I knew he was talented and that he might be able to land the position he wanted within another team or company if his goal was to move up quickly.
He took some time to think and ended up finding a role in another company he was a perfect fit. He was able to secure the leadership role he wanted in a team that focused on technology he had solid expertise in. He thanked me for my honesty and for supporting him while he found a better fit. Additionally, his open spot made room for one of the junior engineers who had taken on extra work and served as a leader to be promoted. The team was pleased with the overall result."
