That's the ideal way to do it, and certainly the first option. However, if neither the team nor Ted himself brings up the fact that Ted's underperformance is t

That's the ideal way to do it, and certainly the first option. However, if neither the team nor Ted himself brings up the fact that Ted's underperformance is the root cause (and there are uncountable ways of having a seemingly open discussion and still avoid addressing individual issues), you're going to have to step up. In the end, if it is truly "about Ted", you cannot continue avoiding that and keeping it private if you want your team to hold each other accountable. That is what the author is talking about. If Ted keeps coming to you in private with his doubts, that may make you feel important, but you're just making yourself unmissable. If your team can't do this without you, you're not empowering your team.