Few managers relish calling out an employee for poor performance. The reasons can vary, but the outcome is always the same — an unpleasant experience for both parties, not to mention their colleagues.Jason Yarborough, utilities director in Palm Bay, Fla., and a 12-year public sector veteran, knows this from experience. In his early years as a manager, he supervised an employee who was an ethnic minority and a practicing Muslim. He was also a chronic underperformer, but Yarborough avoided confronting the issue because he was intimidated by the religious and racial elements involved. Ultimately, the employee forced the issue when
