Q. I am experiencing some problems with one of my employees. One day he'll meet deadlines and the work will be great. Another day, he'll do nothing, and I will have to follow up with him. I feel it is still too early to let him go. Is there advice you can give me on how to make my employee more reliable?

A. Great to hear you want to help your employee become more reliable. Sometimes they just need to be told they need to be dependable at all times. Just remember you are giving them the extra push to success and not taking on their work. Here are some methods to try with him:

1. Begin with praise and appreciation. Tell the person honestly what he did right and you appreciate the contribution/hard work. Be specific on the good work.

2. Try to stay away from the word "but." Instead, change the word "but" to "and." You can say, "Great, you met today's deadline and now if you meet tomorrow's deadline we'll be on schedule." That's a subtle change with a big impact. You will be telling him what you want without criticizing him at all.

3. Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person. Many of us don't make mistakes today simply because we've made them in the past and learned from them.

4. Be honest. Tell him you see the potential in him, that deadlines need to be met and that he needs to keep you up to date rather than the other way around.