I have a theory that the best managers do not just continuously focus on getting good at hiring (as there are a lot of flaws in the hiring process in general when it comes to what's feasible in business). The best managers are the ones who know when and how to fire well.

I also know firsthand that firing someone can feel absolutely terrible.

You hired them. You probably like them as a person. You know they have rent, a family, maybe even a kid starting school, and you worry about what the team will think, whether you're being unfair, and whether part of it is your fault for not training them better???

So you lie awake running different scenarios in your head, only to let the next fire take your attention and put it back on the theoretical shelf in your mind…

I would not call this weak. I would say it means you CARE, which is a good thing. Most leaders who don't care aren't great leaders at all because people can feel they easily dispose of others.

But caring about someone doesn't mean keeping them in a seat they're failing in. When you keep the wrong person, it’s your best people who pay the price. They pick up the slack, they watch the standard drop, and they start to wonder why they should bother trying. The person you're trying to protect usually isn't happy either. Nobody enjoys being bad at their job and feeling like they are sucking.

Keeping them feels kind, but it isn't. The only thing worse than firing someone is keeping them because of YOUR emotions.

And underneath the emotions, there are usually two practical reasons managers avoid firing:

When you can't answer those two questions, the emotions take over. You second-guess yourself because you have no clear standard to point to, and you dread the conversation because you've never been shown how to do it well.

Fix those two things, and most of the emotional weight goes away with them.

Here's how.

Part 1: How to know it's time

There are five signs.

1. They aren't meeting the standard. You've made the expectations clear, and they keep missing them or defending a lower standard than the one you set. Remember, it’s not about one bad week. It’s a PATTERN you are looking for. Are things meaningfully better with them here? Or not really?

2. They're tearing down the team. They don't live the values. Even if they hit their numbers, they make everyone around them worse. “Look at who is stepping on others to stand out” is a phrase I live by. They tend to point to others as the problem rather than facing the ugly truth in the mirror.

3. They treat rules like suggestions. You've given them plenty of time to correct the problem, and they haven't. At that point, they need to pursue other career opportunities. People who lack urgency can go work in corporate America or a dying industry, not a winning team.

4. They're apathetic. They don't care about the customers, the company, or the work. If they don't care, why are you spending so much energy caring about them????

5. They thrive on drama. They feed on hurt feelings and talk badly about the company to clients or teammates behind your back. Or they have poor emotional management, and when they are in a bad mood, everyone knows it. That's a personality issue, and you aren't qualified to fix it (assuming you'd even want to).

If you read that list and a name comes to mind, keep reading, please…

Part 2: Coach them up, or cut the cord?

Once you’ve spotted the problem, your first decision isn’t how to fire them. It’s whether they’re worth coaching at all.

Start by asking yourself two questions.

How big is the gap?

Look at the distance between where this person is and where they need to be. A small gap can be closed in a few weeks. A big one can take years.

Am I qualified to close it?

Some gaps are skills, and some are character. Say someone isn’t closing calls because they struggle to overcome objections. That’s a specific skill. You know how to handle an objection, and you can teach it, role-play it, and review their calls. You’re more than qualified to close that gap.

Now say someone just isn’t kind. They’re short with customers and cold to their teammates. Could they learn to be kind? Maybe. But that would take years, and it’s a job for a therapist, not a boss.

Then run the math.

Take the hours it would take to train this person up, and picture spending them on the rest of your team instead. How much more would you get from investing that time in the people who are already doing well?

If the answer is a lot more, you have your answer. Cut the cord now.

If the gap is small and teachable, it’s worth coaching them up.

If you need to cut the cord...

Part 3: The conversation

By the time you're here, the decision is already made. The meeting is not a negotiation. It’s to inform them.

The bottom line

Your job as a manager isn't to make everyone happy. It's to build a team that wins. Part of that is deciding who stays and knowing when it's time for someone to go rather than waiting until it gets so bad that others are telling you.

– Leila

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