Employers have become so concerned about seeming “unfair” or worse becoming victims of lawsuits by unhappy ex-employees that they’ve stopped requiring minimum standards of employees. This can only lead to poor individual and eventually poor company performance. Your best employee performers will resent fact that you use company money to pay people who aren’t up to standard and will reduce their own level of performance or leave.

Take back power in your workplace and set standards of performance. How to fairly assess each of your employees? I use a simple three part measurement tool with acronym AWE or Able – Willing – Engaged.

Is Employee Able?

This is minimum standard of employment or continued employment. Does employee have basic job skills? Does he or she also have people skills to be able to work effectively? Does employee have family or personal issues that make it impossible for employee to work expected hours? Does employee have any emotional or physical health issues that make it impossible to do job effectively? Is he or she lacking any problem attitudes, such as racism or sexism that make them unable to be open to customer or co-worker interactions.

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you should move employee to another job where issues aren’t going to affect their competency or transition them out of company.

Is Employee Willing?

The next level up that is also a make or break issues – is employee willing to do work available? Does employee seem happy to be at work? Does he or she genuinely care about welfare of customers, co-worker, and company in general? Does employee get to work well-rested and prepared so that he or she is able to be fully present and concentrate? Does employee gracefully take on assigned tasks? Does employee arrive at meetings on time and prepared? Is employee open to dialogue and answering questions related to his or her work?

Here is what your consultant would love to tell you about making him or her successful working on your behalf:

1. Please Do Your Homework before I Come In

Too many owners and managers hire a consultant and then stop thinking. They present a list of general problems and expect expert to conjure dramatic results. This approach almost always ends in frustration and many, many billable hours.

Instead, you have to take initiative and stay involved. Discuss your needs, problems, and parameters in candid terms from start. Set a budget or schedule upfront for each project a consultant tackles. Save your skepticism (or your staff’s) for interview process; once you’ve chosen a consultant, give him or her benefit of everything you know and access to all important information.

One of biggest costs in hiring outside expertise is bringing consultant up to speed on your company’s operations. If you can prepare reports and numbers internally, you can help consultant stay away from data gathering and other basic reporting functions; keep consultant focused on analysis. You can tabulate numbers yourself; you’ve hired expert to help you move forward from there. When you hire consultants, keep in mind that their most important skill should be critical analysis and problem solving.

Another point to consider is that many consultants have a steep sort of half life as to enthusiasm for a project. They are consultants because they like variety. In other words, their best thoughts and greatest creativity come early in their relationships with clients. Being prepared from start allows you to take full advantage of short attention spans.

2. Please let me stay focused on what I came in for and keep distractions and new requests to a minimum if you want me to stay within your original budget (or expand budget).

A consultant’s expertise is so welcome in certain environments that they number of projects multiplies beyond hiring manager’s original intent, but often with their knowledge. The original project may be just tip of iceberg of problems within a company, some of which are best solved by a consultant but many of which are best hired within company after working with consultant to develop a plan.