Some people always have an excuse. If something they have done is not up to par – they will tell you a reason. And that reason won’t be that they made a mistake.
Excuses are bad for two reasons.
There are two reasons why this is a problem in an organisation.
1. The person will have a hard time learning.
A lot of learning is done through trial and error. If somebody can’t take feedback – and instead fire away excuses – that person will learn at a slower pace than somebody who won’t be full of excuses.
2. The person needs to be micromanaged
Excessive use of excuses comes from a fear of making a mistakes. Maybe their parents gave them a hard time every time they made a mistake, maybe they had a terrible teacher in school, maybe their grandma didn’t hug them enough. I don’t know why some people are more afraid than others, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is that there are people who are afraid of making mistakes. They are afraid of being wrong. This fear stops them from doing things that they don’t have full control over. Which means that they will disturb you with a lot of unnecessary questions. Questions they could figure out the answers to by themselves, if they just had more guts.
How to use this to your advantage
During the probation period, as soon as possible, try to see if the employee is full of excuses. Give them a task that they will fail. See how they react. If they give you excuces: End the probation. He/She will never be a superstar.
Not ending the probation early is wasting that persons time.