I Love to Fire!

I’m not talking about pottery. I’m talking about people. Yes, it’s not the most appreciated aspect of who I am, by others' accounts, but it is something I do well. I fire people.

I’ve had to fire friends. I’ve had to fire people around the holidays. Are you ready for this? I’ve never felt guilty about it. Why? Because I’ve done it right.

And now my friends, is the time to fire those who are not helping your business succeed. Well, in fact it was yesterday or last year but today is as good of a time as any day in the future.

You may wonder why or how I find it so easy to speak so lightly about a sensitive and life-altering situation. Easy. I’ve been the employee who resented having to work along side others who didn’t pull their weight, were “wastes of paychecks” and who brought the whole work force down. The bosses failed to do the right thing due to legality and we were ALL stuck in a toxic environment. Everyone suffers with a bad egg in the group. Especially the company. Oh, and did I mention profits... and reputation suffer too?

I was just talking to my husband about situations we’ve both experienced when people should have been “let go” but weren’t. One of my examples had to do with a colleague who impersonated a high level executive at our firm – as he traveled around the country, as we all did- and impregnated a woman in another city. He failed to call her back, after her multiple attempts to reach him, and so she called our top-brass. They quickly identified the culprit… and demoted him. Great lesson for us all, right? This man never worked anyhow, he manipulated others to do his work for him. When interviewed about my colleagues actions, it was like a “tell-all” story. My response was that he insulted each one of us every pay day by the mere fact that he had a job. And, they kept him!?!

When I became a decision-maker I vowed to never allow a toxic environment to exist. I have zero qualms of firing those who say, “It’s not my job” and those who do sub-par work. There's too much talent out there. There are too many hard working people to let the others have their jobs.

Do you realize how many top-notch potential employees are out there? Why on earth would you settle for a mediocre one in this day and age? It’s not the economic climate to settle for fifth-best. Go for the best. You can likely hire them at a bargain and let them earn great benefits in the next year or so as the economy straightens up.

If your people aren’t giving you your best you have to ask yourself why? Then you have to have a meeting with each one to come to an understanding. Develop measurable expectations with related rewards and consequences. Make sure they are agreeable. Then, get to work. In the time frame identified, let your employee show you what s/he is worth or let them make it easy to say, “We’ve had enough. We’re going to let you go.”

Clearly, work with your HR and Legal teams on this- but trust me, it CAN and SHOULD be done. You do each of your employees an injustice by letting a bad apple spoil the bunch… and the reputation and profit of your company. Shame on you if you choose to do so.