The First Time I Had To Fire Someone… WAS ABSOLUTELY NAUSEATING
I remember the first time I had to fire somebody, it was nauseating.
As small business leaders, this is one of the toughest things we go through.
We don’t have, often, a large enterprise of middle management layers that can handle the situation.
Perhaps we don’t have an HR director that’s going to go and handle it ‘by the book’.
We operate with small teams, we are interacting every day, and often we have close personal relationships. So it is…TOUGH. It can be extremely difficult.
Again, I remember the first time I had to fire somebody. I remember some of the advice I had received, but I want to tell you about some of the advice I WISH I’d have received.
First and foremost, you’ve got to do everything in your power to see the perspective of that employee. If that employee seems insubordinate, if they seem they’re failing to meet the objectives you’ve laid out in front of them…do you understand their roadblocks? Their point of view? Do you understand what THEY perceive to be stopping them from achievement?
Second, you’ve got to look at YOURSELF and you’ve got to say “look, have I done everything I can do, in order that this person may succeed?”
Ultimately, I’m the steward of the business. And if I have a team member that isn’t ‘cutting it’…have I done enough to train them, and to give them the tools and guidance necessary to be successful.
You’ve got to see their perspective, you’ve got to take ownership and understand…if YOU are doing everything in your POWER to make them successful.
Third, you’ve got to consider the rest of the team. If you understand the perspective of the employee that needs let go, and you know that you’ve done everything you can to set them up for success…now it’s time to think of how that employee affects your TEAM.
This ultimately affects your goals, your clients, your reputation, your legacy, etc…
If you’ve got all three of these things in mind, you can look yourself in the mirror, and it will make this decision much, much easier.
Now, if you’re a person that claims you can let someone go without a thought, just “cut it clean” with no remorse, then I question your long term chances at success. Why? Because EMPATHY is the long term predictor of that success.
Empathy for your team, your clients and all those who depend on your business. You must see from another’s perspective if you hope to understand them. And you must understand “them”, if you hope to lead them.
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