5 Ways to Never Have to Fire Anyone Again
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Firing people sucks for everyone involved. Here are 5 ways to run a team/business so that you never have to fire anyone again, while also building an exceptional team in the process.
Don’t skip out on any of these, they’re each worth their weight in gold.
#5: Hire the right people.
It is critical that you bring the right people onto your team. Don't be hasty. Be intentional about your recruitment strategy, and hold out for the right candidates.
You also need to think about the characteristics of exceptional employees and focus your interview questions to identify those people. Hire for emotional intelligence, growth mindset, and exceptional communication skills. Here’s a link with a handful of questions and guidance for gauging EQ in interviews.
How someone impacts the people around them is just as important as how they perform their role, so getting the right people in the door is a must to avoid performance or attitude problems down the line.
# 4: Have a killer onboarding strategy.
“Make sure from day one that you are setting your people up for success.”
Make sure from day one that you are setting your people up for success. Clearly articulate expectations for them. They should know immediately what a 10/10 looks like in terms of their performance and the way they show up as part of the team.
Make sure new hires feel welcomed and have access to other great employees. Maybe establish a mentoring program where someone has more senior/experienced teammates to connect with, ask questions, and receive support from for a period of time while they are getting up to speed.
Be extremely intentional about the experience of new hires and how you are bringing them into your company and culture. Set the tone, start them off right.
# 3: Invest in exceptional leadership.
Make sure that leaders in your organization are great at communicating, coaching, and have high emotional intelligence. This means only putting people in leadership positions who are great leaders, and also investing in them to make sure they are always improving.
High EQ in leaders means they will more effectively interact with, influence, motivate, and build rapport with different personality types and working styles.
“Any time you have a person or a team with performance issues, you can almost always point to the manager’s inability to clearly articulate expectations, coach individuals, or inspire the team.”
Any time you have a person or a team with performance issues, you can almost always point to the manager’s inability to clearly articulate expectations, coach individuals, or inspire the team.
Having to fire employees is more often than not the result of manager who was unable to turn things around for an individual.
# 2: Ongoing performance guidance and support.
It is not good enough to check in with employees annually or every six months. You need to have ongoing, consistent coaching and course-correction, so if anyone veers off track they can be guided back immediately.
Consistent communication and feedback can ensure that no one’s job is ever put at stake due to an attitude or performance issue.
“It’s much easier to blow out a match than to put out a forest fire.”
It’s much easier to blow out a match than to put out a forest fire. Address any performance and attitude issues the moment they show up, or they’ll get worse over time. Many times, firing someone is preventable if the issues had been dealt with sooner, and more honestly.
The book Radical Candor is a wonderful resource for this, a great read for every leader.
# 1: Have an exceptional, intentional culture.
This is the most important one by far. When I say that though, I don't mean, “Everybody likes each other and we get along.” Nope.
I mean a very clearly articulated code of conduct, behaviors, and mindsets that outline how everyone is expected to show up, approach their work, and impact the rest of the team.
Solidify your commitment to culture, and the ways that you’ll live and breathe it every day with consistency and shared accountability. An intentional culture doesn’t mean anything unless people are accountable to it and it applies equally to everyone, from the CEO to the newest entry-level employee.
This work strengthens connection across your team, and brings out the best in your people.
If you don't have that in place, our Strategic Culture Plan is a free resource and exactly what you need to create it.
When all of these things are prioritized and put in place, you end up with high-caliber, engaged teams and should never have to fire anyone ever again. Yes, we are talking about business and real life, and there are many factors that we can’t control. Inevitably sometimes it’s just not the right fit, or other factors contribute to having to let someone go, but prioritizing the way you are running and creating teams is key.
Set the bar high, keep it there.
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This article was created by keynote speaker Galen Emanuele for the #shiftyestribe. Free leadership and team culture content centered on a new focus every month. Check out the rest of this month's content and subscribe to the Shift Yes Tribe at http://bit.ly/JointheSYT
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