'Ask the Right Question’
Problem Solving Worksheet
for an Essential Managerial Problem Solving Exercise
Your employee isn’t meeting standards and it’s up to you to fix the problem. But do you know what the problem is? Here’s an essential managerial exercise for diagnosing employee performance problems. This article walks you through the steps. A blank Word document copy of this form is available free for download:
This form comes from my workshop The Totally Integrated Performance System.
The phrases associate with this process are provided in my book, Perfect Phrases for Mangers and Supervisors.
1. What is the expectation? What do you want that you’re not getting? Is it clearly defined? Is it measurable?
2. What is happening instead? What are you getting from the employee? Make this as specific and concrete as possible.
3. What is the gap between the expectation and actual performance? Compare the results of 1 and 2 and define the difference.
4. Does the employee understand the performance problem? If no, what has to happen for them to comprehend the issue? Don’t assume the employee understands the problem. If expectations are not clear and concrete, the employee may not even realize there is a problem. It may seem clear to you, but that doesn’t mean it is to them.
5. CAN the employee do the job? If not, what would the employee need to be able to do their job? The employee may understand there is a problem but not know what to do about it. They may lack training or resources or in other ways be set-up to fail. Find out if the employee is capable of meeting expectations, and if not, why not.
6. Does the employee have the resources to be able to do their job? If not, can they be provided? Resources include equipment, training and people. Find out what resources could solve the problem.
7. Is there an external obstacle to the employee’s ability to do their job? If yes, can this obstacle be removed? External obstacles can include too many demands on the employee’s time and coworkers who don’t provide information or help as expected.
8. Is good performance rewarded? If no, how can rewards for good performance be assured? If the employee does a great job, does anyone notice? Is there a benefit to the employee to do well?
9. Is good performance punished? Often good performance is “rewarded” with more work. That could be regarded as a punishment. Also, colleagues might resent a good-performing colleague.
10. Is poor performance punished? If the employee does a bad job, does he or she even hear about it? Is there any cost to them of not doing their job well?
11. Is poor performance rewarded? If yes, how can that be remedied? Poor performance is often “rewarded” by less work. Occasionally employees even deliberately do a bad job to get out of being asked to do it again. Also, sometimes coworkers appreciate others who keep the bar low.
12. Does the employee want to meet expectations? If not, what could motivate the employee? If the employee doesn’t want to do a good job, it’s unlikely they will. Unless you can find a way to motivate them, it’s unlikely they will ever meet expectations.
If you’ve implemented the ‘Ask the Right Question’ Problem Solving Worksheet for an Essential Managerial Problem Solving Exercise step-by-step and problems remain, termination may be your only option. This worksheet will make sure you don’t terminate when the problem could have been fixed, and it provides a solid foundation should a termination be challenged.
for a Word .doc version of this worksheet, free for download.
The appropriate PowerPhrases (Power Phrases) for each step of the process are available in Meryl Runion’s book, Perfect Phrases for Managers and Supervisors.
Supplement this form with Meryl Runion’s Instant Performance Documentation Form.
Source: The Totally Integrated Performance System Workshop
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Runion and Speak Strong (SpeakStrong) provides Power Phrases (PowerPhrases) and other tools to help you improve communication skills at work and at home.
She is the author of the books PowerPhrases!, How to Use PowerPhrases, Perfect Phrases for Managers and Supervisors and How to Say It: Performance Reviews. She can be reached at 719-684-2633 or by email:
Related articles:
1. Free Phrases for Your Employee Performance Review
2. How to Give a Performance Review of an Employee- Dos and Don’ts
3. How NOT to Write a Performance Review
4. Employee Review Preparation Form
5. Instant Performance Documentation Form
6. How to Say It Performance Reviews Store Page
7. Bonus Superlative Performance Review Phrases
8. Problem Solving Exercise Worksheet
