Performance Improvement Plan Coaching
30-60-90 day turnaround coaching guide
Intensive coaching template for performance improvement plans. Uses the ACT Framework to identify root causes, build missing skills through practice, and create sustainable performance habits over 90 days. Use the related Coaching to KPI Integration Template to keep behavior call scores and business KPIs separate.
Purpose
Before any formal PIP, involve HR and legal. Use Direct in the first phase, then ACT once the rep is rebuilding Skill, consistent with Q3. At Day 30, use the Verification Loop to remeasure the behavior against its baseline and check whether commitments were kept before choosing exactly one PIP outcome.
Training Enrichment
Core Insight
Transform underperformance by focusing on specific behaviors, practicing intensively, and creating sustainable habits.
Real-World Challenge
Imagine a sales manager who has placed a team member on a 90-day performance improvement plan. Initially, the team member is overwhelmed and defensive, fearing job loss if they can't meet the expectations. Despite daily check-ins, the sales numbers aren't improving, and tension is building. The manager feels the pressure as their own performance metrics are at risk, and they start to question the effectiveness of the coaching process.
Actionable Guidance
- 1If the team member appears overwhelmed, break down tasks into smaller, manageable steps and celebrate each small win.
- 2Set specific, measurable behavior targets (e.g., 'Make 20 sales calls daily') and track progress visibly to maintain accountability.
- 3During coaching sessions, use real-world scenarios for practice, such as role-playing sales calls, to build confidence and skills.
- 4Implement a peer buddy system for additional support and feedback between sessions.
- 5At Day 30, use Verification Loop evidence for the same behavior: its baseline mean across six calls and remeasurement across the next six calls, plus whether commitments were kept. Keep the focus behavior through the Loop decision. Choose exactly one PIP outcome: Continue (the behavior meets its agreed advance bar, whose starting value is 4 of 6 calls; managers may adjust it for their team), Extend (change the practice action, not the focus behavior), or Escalate (the formal step with HR).
Coaching Prompts
- ?What specific behaviors have you identified that contribute most to the performance gap?
- ?How can you ensure that the skills practiced during coaching are applied daily?
- ?In what ways can you track and celebrate small wins to maintain motivation throughout the improvement plan?
Application Drill(5 minutes)
Conduct a 5-minute role-play exercise where the team member practices a challenging sales call scenario, focusing on improving conversation quality.
Success Criteria:
- ✓Demonstrates clear, confident communication during the role-play.
- ✓Identifies and uses at least one new technique learned during coaching.
- ✓Receives and applies constructive feedback to improve performance.
Examples
- •Sales rep on 90-day improvement plan
- •Manager coaching underperforming team member
- •Leader turning around struggling performer
Exercises
- 1Complete root cause analysis in first week
- 2Select one observable behavior using the approved behavior-selection rule
- 3At Day 30, use the Verification Loop and check whether commitments were kept
Tags
Related Artifacts
Expected Outcomes
- ✓Root causes identified and addressed
- ✓Skills built through intensive practice
- ✓Sustainable performance habits created
- ✓Clear success or transition decision
Content Structure
PIP Overview & ACT Framework
Before any formal PIP, involve HR and legal. For repeated refusal, first check Will and rule out system causes; shrink the commitment until the rep will agree. If still refused, use the Q3 Direct path with the expectation and a time-boxed trial stated. Use Direct in the first phase, then ACT once the rep is rebuilding Skill, consistent with Q3. Keep one focus behavior and apply the Verification Loop at the Day-30 review. Log one ACT Tracker row per coaching conversation with the required fields, not one row per ACT step.
30-Day Sprint: Diagnostic & Foundation
Keep one focus behavior. In the first phase use Direct; once the rep is rebuilding Skill, use ACT on that behavior. At the Day-30 review, use the same behavior's baseline mean across six calls and remeasure across the next six calls, then check whether commitments were kept. Choose exactly one PIP outcome: Continue (the behavior meets its agreed advance bar, whose starting value is 4 of 6 calls; managers may adjust it for their team), Extend (change the practice action, not the focus behavior), or Escalate (the formal step with HR). Retain the selected behavior through the Verification Loop remeasurement and outcome decision.
60-Day Push: Skill Building
During follow-through, continue the Day-30 PIP outcome with HR involved. Keep the focus behavior unless the outcome changes the practice action or the formal step. Once the rep is rebuilding Skill, use ACT on that behavior. Use Verification Loop evidence and whether commitments were kept, not a separate performance threshold.
90-Day Target: Sustainable Performance
Close a behavior only when improvement holds across two consecutive measurement cycles, not after one good stretch. Use the Verification Loop for the behavior. For the same behavior, record the PIP Skill Score as the average out of 5 from its existing observed Skill ratings; this is a supporting record, not an additional threshold or PIP outcome. At the Day-30 review, use the six-call baseline and next-six-call remeasurement, then check whether commitments were kept and choose exactly one PIP outcome: Continue (the behavior meets its agreed advance bar, whose starting value is 4 of 6 calls; managers may adjust it for their team), Extend (change the practice action, not the focus behavior), or Escalate (the formal step with HR). Involve HR and legal before any formal PIP. Use Direct in the first phase and ACT once the rep is rebuilding Skill.
Difficult Conversation Guide
For the Day-30 review, use the Verification Loop first, remeasure the selected behavior against its baseline, and check whether commitments were kept. Choose one outcome only: Continue (the behavior meets its agreed advance bar, whose starting value is 4 of 6 calls; managers may adjust it for their team), Extend (change the practice action), or Escalate (the formal step with HR). Do not close the behavior until improvement holds across two consecutive measurement cycles. Before any formal PIP, involve HR and legal. Use Direct in the first phase and ACT once the rep is rebuilding Skill.
Authors
Target Audience
Duration
90-day intensive program
Difficulty
advanced
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