I think when it's early on, you have to have a very short leash on people. For me it's showing up on time. Thing is, I tell them that ahead of time. Make them sign something saying they understand that showing up ontime is important. I set the expectations up front. If you break these deal breakers, I will let you go and I won't think about it.
Also, it has to be a cultural thing too. I think it's common (especially among carpenters) to have a respect earning period of time where they might not necessarily like them BUT keep in mind this is the honey moon period where they should be on their best behavior. If they are messing up at the beginning, it's probably not going to work.
I think a lot of us make excuses for people and keep people around longer than you should. Remember, THIS IS YOUR MONEY. Don't throw it away. There are lots of good people out there and A players only want to work with A players. If your making excuses for someone, you are hurting your team.
