Evaluating results by first evaluating skill and will saves time, frustration and heartache. Regardless of the role (employee, boss, business owner, vendor, freelance or self), there will be bumps and marginal performance. Emotions rise quickly when entrepreneurs stake their future success on the results of others.
When performance is poor, instead of going down the emotional path and putting energy into all the reasons results are bad and how important success is to the business, it is time to ask a question:
Is the issue a symptom of skill? Or is it a symptom of will?
Will the employee say, "Boss, I don't know how"?
Or will they say, "Boss, I didn't feel like it"?