This question gets uncomfortable fast.When an employee keeps making mistakes, it’s easy to label them as careless, lazy, or a bad fit.And sometimes they are.I’ve had employees or applicants where the issue was clearly attitude, lack of urgency, poor attention to detail, or an unwillingness to take feedback. You can train skill. It’s a lot harder to train someone to care.But I also think owners need to check themselves before they jump straight to blaming the employee.I’ve had moments in my own business where I was frustrated because someone didn’t do the job the way I expected.Then I had to ask myself a harder question:Did I actually teach that expectation clearly, or did I just assume they would pick it up?A lot of standards live in the owner’s head.The owner knows what a finished job should look like or which gate latch is weird.They know which customer is picky and where waste usually hides in a yard.That knowledge comes from repetition.A new employee doesn’t have that yet.If we throw someone into the field with loose instructions and expect owner-level judgment, we’re probably creating our own callback problem.Callbacks are expensive.They cost route time and frustrate customers.They make the owner lose confidence in the employee and the employee will feel like they’re constantly being corrected after the fact.That’s a bad way to train.For us, the better answer has been getting more specific before the mistake happens.What does the job flow look like?When should customer notes be checked?How should the yard be walked?What photos are required?What happens if the gate is locked?What happens if a dog is outside?What counts as complete?What should the technician do when something looks wrong?Those things can’t stay vague once you start hiring.They need to show up in training, ride-alongs, checklists, job forms, videos, quality checks, and repeated feedback. The bigger the business gets, the more dangerous it is for the standard to live only in the owner’s head.There does come a point where it becomes a people problem.If someone has been trained, shown the standard, corrected, given feedback, and still keeps making the same careless mistakes, then you may have the wrong person.But I think the order matters.Define the standard.Train to the standard.Inspect the standard.Correct against the standard.After that, if the person still refuses to meet it, you can make a cleaner decision.When an employee keeps missing the mark, how do you decide whether it’s a training issue, a standards issue, or the wrong person?

This is one of the reasons we have embraced the EOS method at Crown Caregivers.EOS challenges leaders to look beyond the immediate mistake and ask whether we have the right people in the right seats, whether expectations are clearly defined, and whether the employee truly gets it, wants it, and has the capacity to do it.Before deciding that someone is simply a poor employee, leadership has to examine the system.Was the responsibility clear on the Accountability Chart?Was the expected result measurable on a Scorecard?Was the process documented, trained, and followed?Was the issue identified and discussed honestly before moving toward discipline?When standards remain only in the owner’s head, employees are forced to guess. That is not accountability. It is ambiguity.At the same time, EOS also makes it harder to avoid a genuine people issue. Once the standard is clear, the process is documented, the person has been trained, and the same problem continues, leadership has to determine whether the individual is still the right person for that seat.For us, the order is:Clarify the seat.Define the measurable.Document the process.Train and coach.Inspect the results.Identify, Discuss, and Solve the issue.Then make the appropriate personnel decision.For any entrepreneur struggling to move expectations out of their head and into a repeatable operating system, I strongly recommend reading Traction by Gino Wickman. We are not being paid to promote it… it has simply given our leadership team a practical framework for creating clarity, accountability, and consistency as Crown Caregivers grows.Clear expectations protect the employee, the customer, and the company. Accountability works best when everyone knows exactly what winning looks like.

This is a great topic. An employee should know when they are being let go before you actually do it. The writing is on the wall if you do your job correctly. If things (position, expectation, deliverables) are cleared defined AND followed up with feeback, warnings, etcetera. Training the standard is huge and holding accountable to that standard with consistency and timeliness when it is missed. Documentation holds up if they pass tests in training too.Too often, management is skipped as the problem as they have created more trust (hence their position with the company). An employee should be give the tools and resources to succeed so that it is clear whose fault it is when they fail. My last employer recruited and hired A & B talent every week but constantly has turnover as the employees leave with bad attitudes and poor work ethic (even though they came in as rockstars). Companies don't like to look in the mirror and consider what they are doing to harm the attitude and performance of their staff.

I think it’s important to rule out the systems before blaming the person. I always ask:Did we clearly define the standard?Did we train them effectively?Did we provide coaching and feedback?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.

This is a great discussion because I believe the answer is somewhere in the middle. As business owners, we have a responsibility to clearly define the standard, provide the training, and lead by example. If we never communicate our expectations, we can’t expect people to magically know them.At the same time, character isn’t defined by what someone does when people are watching—it’s defined by what they choose to do when no one is watching. That’s where integrity, work ethic, and pride in your craft really show up.In our industry especially, landscaping and home services aren’t easy. It’s hot, physically demanding, and every day brings a new challenge. If an employee doesn’t have that fire in their belly or the willingness to push through when the work gets hard, burnout usually follows. Skill can be taught, but attitude, resilience, and the desire to improve have to come from within.That said, I’ve also learned to give people grace. Life happens. People go through family struggles, health issues, financial stress, or personal challenges we may never see. Sometimes they don’t need criticism—they need leadership, encouragement, or someone willing to have a real conversation.The best teams are built when owners set a clear standard, employees take ownership of their work, and both sides communicate with honesty and respect. That’s how businesses, people, and communities grow together.

Standards remove guesswork. A documented process helps everyone succeed and makes coaching much easier.

Do employees fail because they’re bad, or because the owner never defined the standard?

11 Replies

Jemonji
Contributor 2
5 days ago
This is one of the reasons we have embraced the EOS method at Crown Caregivers.
EOS challenges leaders to look beyond the immediate mistake and ask whether we have the right people in the right seats, whether expectations are clearly defined, and whether the employee truly gets it, wants it, and has the capacity to do it.
Before deciding that someone is simply a poor employee, leadership has to examine the system.
Was the responsibility clear on the Accountability Chart?
Was the expected result measurable on a Scorecard?
Was the process documented, trained, and followed?
Was the issue identified and discussed honestly before moving toward discipline?
When standards remain only in the owner’s head, employees are forced to guess. That is not accountability. It is ambiguity.
At the same time, EOS also makes it harder to avoid a genuine people issue. Once the standard is clear, the process is documented, the person has been trained, and the same problem continues, leadership has to determine whether the individual is still the right person for that seat.
For us, the order is:
Clarify the seat.
Define the measurable.
Document the process.
Train and coach.
Inspect the results.
Identify, Discuss, and Solve the issue.
Then make the appropriate personnel decision.
For any entrepreneur struggling to move expectations out of their head and into a repeatable operating system, I strongly recommend reading Traction by Gino Wickman. We are not being paid to promote it… it has simply given our leadership team a practical framework for creating clarity, accountability, and consistency as Crown Caregivers grows.
Clear expectations protect the employee, the customer, and the company. Accountability works best when everyone knows exactly what winning looks like.
- AnthonySalazar
  Jobber Ambassador
  3 days ago
  This is a really solid framework.
  I like the “gets it, wants it, capacity to do it” filter because it separates a few different issues that can look the same from the outside.
  Someone may understand the role but not want it.
  Someone may want the role but not have the capacity.
  Someone may have capacity but never had the standard clearly defined.
  Those are different problems, and they need different decisions.
  I haven’t fully implemented EOS in my business, but I like the idea of moving expectations out of the owner’s head and into something measurable. That’s the part a lot of small service businesses skip for too long.
Brand
Contributor 4
6 days ago
This is a great topic. An employee should know when they are being let go before you actually do it. The writing is on the wall if you do your job correctly. If things (position, expectation, deliverables) are cleared defined AND followed up with feeback, warnings, etcetera.

Training the standard is huge and holding accountable to that standard with consistency and timeliness when it is missed. Documentation holds up if they pass tests in training too.

Too often, management is skipped as the problem as they have created more trust (hence their position with the company). An employee should be give the tools and resources to succeed so that it is clear whose fault it is when they fail.

My last employer recruited and hired A & B talent every week but constantly has turnover as the employees leave with bad attitudes and poor work ethic (even though they came in as rockstars). Companies don't like to look in the mirror and consider what they are doing to harm the attitude and performance of their staff.
- AnthonySalazar
  Jobber Ambassador
  3 days ago
  I agree with this completely. If the employee is surprised when they’re being let go, there’s a good chance the feedback and accountability process wasn’t clear enough along the way. The standard, the missed expectations, and the consequences should not come out of nowhere.
  I also like what you said about companies needing to look in the mirror. If good people keep coming in and leaving with bad attitudes, that’s usually worth investigating. Sometimes the person is the problem, but sometimes the company is creating the conditions that turn good people into checked-out employees.
roselvaggio
Jobber Ambassador
7 days ago
I think it’s important to rule out the systems before blaming the person. I always ask:
Did we clearly define the standard?
Did we train them effectively?
Did we provide coaching and feedback?
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.
- AnthonySalazar
  Jobber Ambassador
  3 days ago
  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.
Purposefamily
Contributor 4
5 days ago
This is a great discussion because I believe the answer is somewhere in the middle. As business owners, we have a responsibility to clearly define the standard, provide the training, and lead by example. If we never communicate our expectations, we can’t expect people to magically know them.
At the same time, character isn’t defined by what someone does when people are watching—it’s defined by what they choose to do when no one is watching. That’s where integrity, work ethic, and pride in your craft really show up.
In our industry especially, landscaping and home services aren’t easy. It’s hot, physically demanding, and every day brings a new challenge. If an employee doesn’t have that fire in their belly or the willingness to push through when the work gets hard, burnout usually follows. Skill can be taught, but attitude, resilience, and the desire to improve have to come from within.
That said, I’ve also learned to give people grace. Life happens. People go through family struggles, health issues, financial stress, or personal challenges we may never see. Sometimes they don’t need criticism—they need leadership, encouragement, or someone willing to have a real conversation.
The best teams are built when owners set a clear standard, employees take ownership of their work, and both sides communicate with honesty and respect. That’s how businesses, people, and communities grow together.
- AnthonySalazar
  Jobber Ambassador
  3 days ago
  The middle-ground take is so important. Owners have to define the standard, train it, and lead it. Employees also have to bring personal responsibility, pride, and honesty to the role.
  Both things can be true.
  I also like what you said about grace. There are times when someone is struggling because they don’t care, and there are times when something outside of work is affecting them. A real conversation can reveal which one you’re dealing with before you make the wrong call.
  - Purposefamily
    Contributor 4
    2 days ago
    I appreciate that perspective, Anthony. That’s exactly what I was trying to express. Both things really can be true at the same time.
    As an owner, I have a responsibility to set the standard, communicate it clearly, and lead by example. But I also believe leadership requires enough awareness to recognize the difference between someone who simply doesn’t care and someone who may be carrying something heavy outside of work.
    I’ve learned that one genuine conversation can sometimes tell you more than weeks of watching someone’s performance. Grace doesn’t mean lowering the standard or avoiding accountability—it means taking the time to understand the person before deciding how to address the problem.
    Correct when necessary. Coach when possible. Listen before assuming.
    I appreciate you adding to the conversation. Perspectives like this are exactly why communities like this grow together. 💯🙏🏾
Homeownership
Contributor 5
3 days ago
Standards remove guesswork. A documented process helps everyone succeed and makes coaching much easier.
- AnthonySalazar
  Jobber Ambassador
  3 days ago
  Exactly. Standards make coaching less personal because you’re not arguing opinions anymore. You’re pointing back to the process, the expectation, and the result. That makes it easier for the employee to improve and easier for the owner to make a decision if they don’t.

Forum Discussion

Do employees fail because they’re bad, or because the owner never defined the standard?