Reach agreement on specific action steps.
It is essential to identify concrete action steps to be taken by the subordinate. If you discuss
possible remedies but end the discussion without agreement on specific action steps, the person may walk away from the meeting without a clear understanding of what he or she is expected to
do. Likewise, it is not enough to tell the subordinate to try to do better. Unless the person makes
an explicit promise to carry out specific action steps, he or she may quickly forget about the discussion.
As part of the explicit agreement, you should clearly state any action steps you will take
to help the subordinate improve performance.