Staff Not Performing? What Does That Mean?

It's not uncommon to meet with an executive team and have them share that they think their organization is "underperforming." Revenue are down, margins are down, productivity is down, performance bonuses are missed, plans aren't implemented … the stated list of reasons for poor performance are many. Most often, I hear the “staff” isn't performing. But what does that mean?

Beyond a list of lagging indicators, most managers I meet with can't take the performance discussion much further. What are leading indicators that predict "poor performance" outcomes (leading indicators that allow manager intervention)? What are the causes . . .