Thinking. About Business.
Fire Sue Today!
Copy this and send it anonymously to the right manager(s)
By Shawn Doyle
Here is a pattern I am seeing across the business landscape. In fact, I think it has become a disease, which I call
“triggeritus”. It means we have managers who can’t pull the trigger (more on that in a minute) on termination.
Laura is a manager and Sue works for her as a sales person. Sue is a new associate and has done a terrible job
the last 12 months and is completely incompetent despite every effort at coaching, advice, and development.
She just isn’t “cutting the mustard”. She is clearly a massive hiring mistake. She knows it, Laura knows it, and
worst of all, everyone on the team knows it. When I ask Laura why Sue is still employed by the company, she
gives me one of several answers, depending on the day: 1) “Well, I know we should let her go, but I just want to
give her every chance—I want to be fair”, 2) “Sue has a big lead for a sale that she may close, and I don’t want to
potentially lose business”, 3) “It would be kind of cold to let someone go this close to the holiday” (8 holidays
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have now passed), 4) “I’m hoping my coaching will turn her around.”
Here is the real reason, and I will be blunt: Laura doesn’t have the courage to fire Sue, and the thought of it
makes her break out in a cold sweat. She has an itchy trigger finger but can’t fire the shot. She won’t even point
the gun.!Here is why you (or someone you know) should take action if you are in this position. I am asking, no
imploring you to take action now.
1.
They aren’t going to change. If employees have a track record of underperformance, they aren’t going
to change. No miracle is going to happen, the town is not going to be saved, Lassie isn’t going to lead
Timmy to safety. I am an optimist, but I have seen this time and time again. Once someone has a track
record of underperformance in that organization, it is not going to change. As a good friend of mine
often says, “A leopard cannot change its spots.” They are in the wrong job in the wrong company
reporting to the wrong manager. So stop waiting and do it.
2.
The team is resentful. People on the team are very resentful about an underperformer being able to get
away with it for so long because they are performing and working hard, and in their opinion, that
employee is not being held to the same standard. They don’t think that is fair. They may not tell you,
but they are talking about it. Oh yes, they are talking about it. In the lunch room, in the offices, in the
cubes, they are talking and complaining and venting to one another. They are also talking about you.
They are saying, “I can’t believe our managers can’t see this—why don’t they do something about it? I
mean, this has gone on way too long!” Morale is getting lower everyday due to your inaction.
3.
The underperforming employees are not happy. They know they aren’t doing well. They can see the
writing on the wall. They see the reactions from their coworkers; they aren’t dumb. They feel bad about
getting up every morning and going to a job where they are clearly failing. They are confused because
they have never failed before. No one likes to fail, and they have this sick feeling in the pit of their
stomach. They are waiting for the axe to fall but don’t know when it is going to happen and are puzzled
it hasn’t happened already.
4.
Service and sales and quality are being affected. Underperforming employees are affecting sales,
service, and quality. You don’t have the whole picture now, but when they leave, the tales of woe will
start to roll in, and you will be shocked at how big of a negative impact they had. Customers and
employees will tell you horror stories about their experiences. You will wish you would have acted
sooner.
5.
You are making excuses. You are procrastinating and delaying something that everyone knows should
be done. The excuses you give yourself to justify your inaction will result in regret later. Your irrational
fear is exactly that—irrational. You have painted scenarios in your mind of how that person will react
and how terrible that day will be. The reality is that it is often less dramatic than you would have
imagined. Don’t get me wrong, firing someone is never fun, it is not a pleasant experience that day, but
once you get it over with—there can be a great sense relief for both parties. When I ask managers in my
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leadership programs, “What is the biggest mistake you have ever made in make in firing people?” The
answer is almost always, “I waited way too long to do it.”
Make sure that you follow legal guidelines and get help if you need it from your manager and from the human
resources department. They can tell you how to handle it and how to protect your company or organization
from liability.
Sometimes being a leader is tough and you have to do things that aren’t pleasant or fun. No one said it would
be easy, but that is what true leaders do—they take action that needs to be taken. They take the responsibility for
their team, their company, for the results. Take responsibility. Take action. Fire them now. Do what you should
have done 6 months ago.
Shawn Doyle ([email protected]) is the president and founder of New Light Learning and Development
(www.newlightlearning.com), a company specializing in leadership development. He has also authored seven books on
leadership sales and motivation. His latest book, 2 Months to Motivation, has just been published this month by Anfang
Jezt Publishing.
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