Put the detail that hurts your case in yourself, before anyone finds it.
Examples
- A period where you also missed scheduled time.
- A quarter where things genuinely improved.
- A reason on the other side with some real legitimacy.
Every instinct says leave it out. Every instinct is wrong here.
Why
A reader who catches you rounding up once discounts everything else you present, including the parts that were completely solid.
And the reverse is just as true. A reader who watches you volunteer something against your own interest trusts the rest of your numbers far more than they otherwise would.
It's not generosity
It's the cheapest credibility you will ever buy. The detail was going to come out anyway. The only variable is who says it first.
It feels like giving something away. It isn't. It's the thing that makes everything else believable. Accuracy isn't a concession; it's the argument.
Lead with the accurate picture
Not the most dramatic one.
That applies to numbers as much as conduct. If your contact log shows a quiet stretch where things went well, say so. If you missed a handover yourself, it goes in the log like any other.
This is about small, checkable facts: lateness, a missed call, an improvement in the pattern. Anything touching a disputed allegation or a safeguarding question is a decision for your lawyer, not something to volunteer on your own.
General information, not legal advice. Court process differs between countries and regions; check anything that matters to your case with a qualified lawyer where you live.
Chapters 5 and 22 of the workbook cover volunteering the inconvenient detail: in your numbers, and in your statement, at the point in the history where it happened rather than gathered at the end.
See the workbook & spreadsheet