Podcast Summary: F.I.R.E.D UP with Krista Mashore

Episode: Why Your Team Is Underperforming And It's Your Fault (Ep. 964)
Host: Krista Mashore
Date: September 12, 2025

Episode Overview

In this candid solo episode, Krista Mashore addresses a critical issue plaguing many entrepreneurs and business owners: underperforming teams. With a “tough love” approach, Krista insists that the root of underperformance almost always begins at the top—with leadership. She draws from her own experiences building a $68 million business in seven and a half years to dissect why teams underperform and to lay out a step-by-step system for turning things around. This episode is packed with tactical leadership advice focused on clear expectations, accountability, and performance measurement.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Underperformance is a Leadership Problem

• Main Argument: When a team is underperforming, the fault lies first and foremost with leadership—specifically, with a lack of clarity and accountability from the top.
• Krista’s Opening Statement:

  "If your team is underperforming, it's not on them, it's actually on you. The way you handle it, it determines if you fix the problem or let it destroy your business." (00:00)

2. Step-by-Step Accountability System

Step 1: Set Crystal Clear Expectations

• Lack of clarity around roles, targets, and processes fuels underperformance.
• Questions leaders must ask themselves:
  • Does every role have a clear job description?
  • Does each department have measurable targets?
  • Do team members know their KPIs and have documented SOPs?
• Cautionary Tale:
  Krista describes a costly email marketing mishap that resulted from unclear guidance:

  "I immediately found out that they were actually clicking this button and excluding over 180,000 contacts... And the reason that they were doing it was because one leader at one time told them that this is the way it should be done. And none of them ever even questioned it. Now here is the worst part about it. It's actually my fault." (01:49)

  • Impact: This single mistake, due to lack of clear expectations, cost the company “multiple millions of dollars” over the course of a year.

Step 2: Make Them Measure Themselves

• Self-tracking breeds accountability and improvement.
• Krista references habit research:

  "Research shows that what you track actually grows. That could be a daily KPI tracker, a weekly scorecard... it's like stepping on the scale. People who weigh themselves daily, they actually lose weight... simply because of awareness." (04:14)

Step 3: Reinforce Relentlessly

• Continuous feedback is crucial—underperformance does not correct itself.
• Emphasis on recognition of progress, not just perfection:

  "Recognize progress, not just perfection. Yesterday's five becoming today six deserves recognition. It keeps momentum alive. It gets them excited." (05:36)

Leadership in Action: Meeting Structure & Performance Tracking

• Krista shares her routine with her own leadership team:
  • Weekly leadership meetings.
  • Set department goals and measurable results.
  • Teams report on measurable outputs (e.g., “built a landing page,” “sent a 30-day follow-up sequence”).
• Practical Example:

  "People don't just talk about like 'oh I sent an email.' They'll have their team give feedback on measurable results, things you can actually see." (06:44)

The Power of a Time Study

• Krista advises conducting a time study every quarter for each team member, including leaders.
  • Every 15 minutes, write down exactly what you are doing, in detail.
  • Increases self-awareness, exposes time-wasting and “rabbit holes.”

  "When somebody is doing a time study, they're much more productive... they're aware of what they're doing." (08:10)

  • Analyze time spent on:
    • Strategy vs. Tactics
    • Money-making vs. Administrative activities
    • Working on vs. in the business

The Core Message: Leadership Begins With You

• Underperformance is a symptom; weak leadership accountability is the disease.
• The cure: Set the standard, create clarity, follow-through relentlessly.

"Underperformance is a symptom, a symptom of your leadership. Low accountability is the disease and the cure starts with you setting the standard, creating clarity and following through." (11:11)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Responsibility:

  "It's rarely about laziness or incompetence. It's always almost about unclear expectations and weak accountability. And accountability— it doesn't start with your team. It starts with you because you're the owner." (01:10)

• On The Cost of Mistakes:

  "That clear lack of expectations, cost my company multiple millions of dollars... Do the math." (03:20)

• On Team Self-Awareness:

  "They need to be self-aware of how they're actually spending their time and then later on they need to actually analyze their performance." (10:08)

• On Continuous Improvement:

  "Accountability is not a one time talk, it's a loop." (05:53)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00—Responsibility for Underperformance Lies with Leadership
• 01:10—The Real Causes: Unclear Expectations & Weak Accountability
• 01:49—Costly Example: Email Marketing Mishap
• 04:14—Step 2: Accountability Through Self-Measurement
• 05:36—Step 3: The Power of Reinforcing Progress & Feedback
• 06:44—How Krista Runs Leadership and Team Meetings
• 08:10—Conducting a Time Study: Method and Benefits
• 11:11—Closing Message: Underperformance as a Symptom of Leadership

Final Takeaway

Krista Mashore challenges entrepreneurs to look in the mirror when their teams struggle. Her solution: clarify expectations, foster self-accountability, and create a culture of relentless feedback and self-awareness. Leadership sets the tone—fix the system, not just the symptoms, and extraordinary results will follow.

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