They say
What to say when an employee says “I’m doing the best I can.”
When an employee says they are doing their best, acknowledge the effort without treating effort as the result, then identify what is preventing the required performance.
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.”
If they push back again
“Then I don’t know what else you want from me.”
You could say
Let me show you an example of what I’m after. Then tell me where you think the gap is, because you’ll see things I don’t.
After the conversation
- Write down an example of the required result, so the employee has something to aim at beyond ‘better’.
- Remove one obstacle you’re responsible for, such as unclear instructions or a missing tool, within the next week.
- Set a review date four to six weeks away to look at results together, and put it in both calendars.
Questions managers ask
What if their best really isn’t enough for the role?
Then you have to tell them, kindly and clearly, once you’ve ruled out obstacles you could remove. Look at whether training, a narrower scope or a different role would suit them better. Keeping someone in a role they can’t succeed in without telling them only delays a harder conversation.
What if I’ve set a standard nobody on the team could meet?
Check it against the whole team’s results. If most people fall short, the standard or the resources behind it may be wrong, and you should adjust it openly and explain why. If others meet it under similar conditions, the gap is more likely individual and needs a different conversation.
How do I praise effort without lowering the bar?
Name the effort you saw and talk about the result separately. “You stayed late to fix the data, and I noticed” is honest recognition. Then say where the work still falls short. General praise for effort that avoids the result leaves the employee thinking effort is what counts.