The Sisyphus Comments

Focus On The Task – Not The Excuse

Regardless of how good an employee is, he is going to make excuses at one time or another.  Remember to focus on the task or problem and don’t worry about the validity of the excuse.  In fact, you may be better off ignoring the excuse completely and going straight to the job status.

For instance, if an employee tells you that he would have finished an assignment but people kept interrupting him, a good answer would be, “Fine.  What is the status of the assignment now, and when will you be finished.”

If you attack the problem and ignore the excuse, the discussion stays focused on the task – not the excuse.