This is part 9 of a series of 18 articles I wrote for Entrepreneur.com.

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When someone’s performance drops, most managers reach for a process. A PIP. A checklist. A framework. But here’s the thing — people aren’t machines, and a performance dip is almost always a symptom, not the disease.

Maybe their kid is struggling in school. Maybe they’re going through a divorce. Maybe they’re burned out and don’t know how to say it. You won’t know unless you’ve built the kind of relationship where they actually tell you.

This isn’t about being their therapist. It’s about being a leader who understands that context matters. When you know what someone is dealing with, you can provide the right kind of support instead of defaulting to discipline. And yeah, that requires vulnerability on your end too. Share your own struggles. Be human first, manager second.

Read the full article on Entrepreneur.com

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Previously: The 2 Interview Questions That Matter | Next up: 8 Lessons from Leading Remote