The Truth About Better Decision-Making (Collection), 2/e

Truth 33. There's no excuse for excuses

"We can't afford to lose him at this critical juncture."

"It's really not that serious of an offense."

"Do you know how long it will take us to find someone with comparable skills?"

We've all heard excuses like these from other managers who would prefer to rely upon time, chance, or the possibility of divine intervention, rather than confront an individual about a performance problem. In many cases, the senior management of the organization accepts the poor performer's rationale or apathetically turns the other way.

Not only is this approach inexcusable—as it will likely exacerbate what is already a difficult situation—but it also amounts to a blatant disregard of managerial responsibilities. Feedback is ...