How do you find a good balance in...

I just realized again this morning that it is extremely difficult to find a good balance in anything that you do.

For instance our Gardener, good guy, hard worker, but I'm not usually home to actually keep an eye on him. But it was not necessary before, but lately he does all the work that you notice that work has been done but leaves the not so good things. So how do you get the balance right in confronting the person but also encorage them to do better?

What I found that usually works is; firstly, take him or her aside and try and found out if something is wrong or if there is something that you have done or said that has upset them. If the answer is no, the next question sould be something along the line of, why then are you not doing your work properly? If yes you apoligise and then you tell him that you can be sometimes a bit hard but you just want to get the best result for the pay that he is earning. (they do get offended easily and if you don't appoligise they will make sure you will pay one way or another, some guys will steal because they think that they deserve it, others will give you only 60%.). Secondly you give them an example of someone that earns less but yhat has less privelages than them and work harder, why shouldn't you get someone else to do the job( they will feel quilty at this point and appoligise) and then you complement them on the work done, but let them know that you know that they can do better.

That is one of the ways I approach people working for me the other way, well ...
I can't really explain how it goes step by step but it usually end with," you know what, here's you money for the rest of the month but you don't have to come and work for it so just.... no not what you're thinking, just leave please".

Well that all from me.