The assumption almost always lands on the person.
When performance drops, our instinct is to look at the individual — their effort, their attitude, their engagement. That instinct is understandable. It’s also, more often than not, the wrong place to start. The person is the last place the problem lives.
Take Action: Think of one current performance issue on your team. Before your next conversation about it, write down three things in the environment — equipment, process, scheduling — that could be contributing. Start there.