HEADLINES 

• Most mgrs. hold employees accountable for deliverables, deadlines, results & behavior (collectively, their "performance") 
• Little, daily decisions and choices made by the employee are what lead to their performance  
• Managers must hold employees accountable for under performance 
• Employees often have excuses for under performance 
• Accountability discussions should become coaching discussions 
• Coaching discussions should focus on the decisions and choices that impacted performance 

Coaching points 

1. Ensure your expectations are explicit vs. implied 
2. Use clarity checks to promote good decisions and choices 
3. When under performance happens, focus on their decisions and choices 
4. Ask the employee, "Why did you choose/decide this..."
5. Ask, "What other choices/decisions did you consider?"
6. Listen for and identify their thinking traps 
7. Offer more productive ways of thinking about the situation
8. Consider ending with a pep-talk