I think it’s important to rule out the systems before blaming the person. I always ask:
If the answer is yes to all three and they’re still consistently missing the mark, it may simply not be the right fit. Great employees can still be a poor fit for the wrong role or culture. Accountability starts with clear expectations.
I agree. That order matters. It’s easy to jump straight to “they’re not a good employee” when the better first question is whether the standard was ever clearly taught, repeated, and inspected.
Once that has happened, then the decision gets cleaner. At that point, it’s less emotional because you’re comparing the person against a defined standard instead of a vague feeling that they should be doing better.
