Explanation: Avoid the tendency to generalize performance problems. For instance, it is much better to describe the problem as "Sheila has missed the last three status reporting deadlines in the last quarter," than "Sheila is lazy" or "Sheila has a bad attitude."

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Other Questions to Ask

What is the difference between what is occurring and what should be occurring?

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What specific behaviors are occurring that should be changed?

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What is the person doing that he/she shouldn't be doing?

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What isn't the person doing that he/she should be doing?

Describe in detail the difference between the performance you are getting and the performance that is needed. The best way to do this may be to do some "gap analysis" by creating two lists.