When a team member is underperforming, it can be tempting to assume that there's something wrong with them personally — a bad attitude, laziness or lack of intelligence. When people think these things about themselves, they can feel discouraged and hopeless. They may even decide that there's no point in improving because they'll never be good enough anyway. A leader must remember that people are more than the sum of their job responsibilities and that many factors can contribute to poor performance at work.As a leader in order to motivate, it's important to respect people's personal lives and obligations. If someone has family responsibilities, medical issues or other things that are higher in their life hierarchy than work, respect that and understand it when possible. Communicate expectations clearly from the beginning. When you hire someone, tell them precisely what you expect from them and what will be expected from them in the future if they demonstrate excellence in their position now.Team members underperforming need to hear directly from a leader that their performance has fallen short of expectations. It's a leader's job to address problems head-on and find a solution instead of sweeping them under the rug or deflecting blame onto other people or circumstances.Include underperforming team members in crucial discussions. This can help make it clear that as a leader you're not just trying to lay blame on someone or punish them, but rather that it's a mutual problem that you both want to solve.