Do it the Right Way

If you want to surround yourself with a strong team, you’ll have to learn how to let people go. As difficult as it can be, firing someone the right way is a benefit both to your organization and to the person you're letting go.

The only thing people like less than being let go by a boss is being pink-slipped by a hired gun or by an HR director. Not doing your own firing is a failure to “clean up after yourself.” The people being fired will resent it, and so will the ones doing your dirty work. Eventually the whole organization will pick up on your inability to face tough issues.

You don’t have to learn to like firing people. You don’t even have get beyond the great anxiety of doing so. You only need to get to the point where you can do it when it needs to be done – and do it the right way.

End things on good terms. People don’t cease to exist after you’ve fired them, and who knows, someday you might run into them as a supplier, competitor or customer – or even as a potential hire! It’s a mistake to display anger, to threaten, or to blame, no matter how stressful the conversation gets. Try to convey that you’re sorry things didn’t work out, that you’re wishing the person well, and that you’d like to stay in touch. Indeed, many organizations have alumni associations that include former employees who “weren’t given opportunities to stay on.”

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