They say
“I’m doing the best I can.”
Your response
“I’m not dismissing the effort you’ve made. The result still isn’t where it needs to be. Let’s work out what is getting in the way and what needs to change.”
First, check this
Is the required result realistic, and have you provided the clarity, time, resources, and support the employee reasonably needs to achieve it?
Why this works
Effort can be genuine even when the result is not sufficient. Recognizing it prevents the manager from arguing about how hard the employee tried. Keeping the required outcome clear prevents effort from ending the performance discussion. Looking for the obstacle helps distinguish a supportable gap from a standard the employee cannot yet meet, a constraint the manager must remove, or a change the employee must make.
Don’t say
“Your best clearly isn’t good enough.”