Confronting Issues is a major part of coaching. It DOES NOT have to be rude, aggressive, vicious, etc. If anything if you master the art of confronting you may help develop an incredible employee. Now this is NOT all about manager being responsible because employees will say "Just tell me I can handle it" when in actuality they get very defensive and cannot handle it. Thew audio link below hopefully will help guide you in handling confrontation professionally and thoughtfully:
http://salebuilder.audioacrobat.com/download/61b4af7b-861f-804b-a3db-2a02496b71dc.mp3