Should Leaders Manage Performance or Behaviour?

A common theme in our regular appearances on WorkPlace Radio is the impact of leaders on today’s workplace.  And while some leaders’ behaviours come from particularly strong IQ’s, their EQ behaviours (emotional intelligence) aren’t nearly as strong…. and in some cases, absent. 

Adding to the problem is that employees are a similar mix of behaviours with high IQ/low EQ and high EQ/low IQ behaviours, all making for a challenging and often frustrated team in many businesses today.  And a whole other dimension is added with today’s multi-generational workforces in place.

A client of ours, in that former group of high IQ/low EQ, clearly frustrated with leading today’s multi-generational workforces, asked us “Should Leaders Manage Performance or Behaviour?”, and it really illustrates where many leaders are these days.

The answer to our client as that the answer isn’t either/or, it’s critically both.  But it was important for this leader to understanding that coaching, is not the same as babysitting, and it can be the difference-maker.

In most organizations, performance management is well established. Leaders set goals, track KPIs, conduct quarterly reviews, and measure results. It’s structured, measurable, and clear — the kind of leadership activity that fits neatly into a dashboard. 

But ask any experienced leader what truly drives success, and they’ll often point to something far less tangible, and it is behaviour. How people show up. How they collaborate. How they handle pressure, feedback, and accountability.

The truth is that leaders must manage both. And in today’s multi-generational workforce, that balance is more challenging — and more critical — than ever.

Performance is the “what.” It’s the measurable output of someone’s work — sales achieved, projects delivered, deadlines met. Managing performance is about outcomes and accountability.  When done well, it helps teams stay focused and driven. But when overemphasized, it can reduce people to numbers on a spreadsheet. Teams might meet targets while quietly eroding trust, collaboration, or ethical standards.

Behaviour is the “how.” It’s the daily choices, interactions, and attitudes that shape a team’s culture.  When leaders manage behaviour, they:

• Reinforce shared values and expectations.

• Model professionalism and respect.

• Address issues early, before they harden into patterns.

Behaviour determines whether a team’s performance is sustainable. It’s the foundation of trust, accountability, and engagement — the very things that enable consistent, repeatable success.  Yet, if a leader focuses only on behaviour without linking it to tangible results, the culture can become pleasant but unproductive.  It is here, why great leaders manage both the “what” and the “how.”

In fairness however, being a leader in today’s workplace is a unique challenge — not just by role or function, but by generation. Many teams now include Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z working side by side. Each generation brings valuable perspectives,  but also different behavioural expectations and interpretations of what “good performance” looks like.

• Baby Boomers tend to value loyalty, diligence, and respect for hierarchy. They often see professionalism as consistency and reliability.

• Gen X prefers autonomy and accountability. They’re results-driven and expect to be trusted.

• Millennials look for purpose, feedback, and collaboration. They value alignment between personal values and workplace culture.

• Gen Z seeks authenticity, inclusion, and transparency. They want leaders who coach, not control.

What one generation sees as strong leadership, another might interpret as micromanagement. What one group considers healthy coaching; another might view as interference.  This makes leadership today less about applying a single style — and more about adapting your approach without losing your standards. 

An interesting observation of some leaders at both ends of the generations is their common belief that it’s more about babysitting other generations than coaching them.  Whether it is Boomer leaders complaining about GenZ’s and thinking they are raising the children that parents should have done…. or GenZ leaders thinking it’s like getting their Boomer grandparents to eat their vegetables, it seems the concept of coaching is being lost.

Here’s where a subtle but crucial distinction comes in: the difference between coaching and babysitting.

• Coaching builds capability and ownership. It challenges people to think for themselves, take responsibility, and improve their performance and behaviour. Coaching is about helping people grow, not protecting them from challenge.

• Babysitting, on the other hand, manages dependence. It means rescuing people repeatedly, redoing their work, or softening every tough message to avoid discomfort. Babysitting drains time, diminishes accountability, and erodes respect, especially across generations.

Many leaders fall into the babysitting trap without realizing it. They over-function for their teams, mistaking constant support for leadership. But true leadership isn’t about removing all friction, it’s about guiding people through it.  The difference is empowerment.  Coaches develop people. Babysitters deplete themselves.

Ultimately, behaviour and performance are inseparable. Behaviour drives performance, and performance reflects behaviour.

• Performance without behavioural alignment leads to burnout, politics, and sometimes unethical shortcuts.

• Behaviour without performance accountability creates comfort without progress.

The best leaders integrate both — defining not just what must be achieved, but how it should be achieved. They coach for growth and accountability, rather than policing output or softening expectations.

Managing across generations requires nuance. Some team members may need more feedback and reassurance, while others prefer autonomy and independence. Leaders must flex communication and coaching styles without compromising consistency or fairness.

This means:

• Setting clear expectations for both results and conduct.

• Offering support, not supervision.

• Holding people accountable for their growth, not just their output.

• Recognizing that respect is reciprocal — not age-based, but behaviour-based.

When done well, leaders create a culture where performance is measurable, behaviour is visible, and coaching is developmental.

The Bottom Line

Managing performance is managing the output.  Managing behaviour is managing the engine.  Coaching is how leaders align the two.  The goal isn’t to choose between performance and behaviour — it’s to connect them.

To move beyond babysitting and toward a culture of capability, ownership, and growth.  Because in the end, performance is what you measure, but behaviour, and how you coach it, is what sustains it.

PeopleView – October 2025