The Firing Playbook. How to Apply Compassion and Structure During The Difficult Times.

Hey!

This week's newsletter is not an easy one.

It's a complicated topic, and I will do my best to write about it most compassionately.

As a (future) leader, you must fire one day - possibly multiple times.

You need to be prepared.

I was lucky to encounter my first firing during my early career. I managed a sales team at Faxbox (acquired by J2 Global).

One of my team members consistently didn't perform.

When the moment I had to fire her arrived, she was surprised - very surprised.

This caused a little scene at the office that day. Luckily, I had a great CEO and founder, James.

He helped me through the moment.

As I continued my career, I hired many people, and unfortunately, I had to fire some of them.

As I grew and developed as a sales leader, I saw that firing is like hiring: you need steps, frameworks, and preparation for and management of unexpected situations.

That is why I have put together this email, the Firing Playbook if such a thing exists.

Prepare

The worst thing you can do when firing someone is firing who is not expecting the decision.

Try to avoid that. How? Preparing the person and the situation.

1:1s

Your 1:1s with the underperformer are the best moments to try to change the trajectory and consistently communicate what the future looks like.

1:1s are, by definition, a safe, private environment where you can explain clearly what's going on and why.

Therefore, before even deciding to fire somebody, you must try to help the person improve.

The ultimate goal is to avoid firing.

However, if the person is not coachable and struggling, use these moments to explain clearly the output they will face.

Performance Improvement Plan

If things get serious, you should implement a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) before firing the person.

A PIP is an official action you take with the person.

It usually takes some time, from 1 to 3 months, and it requires the person to meet certain KPIs (weekly or monthly) to be out of the PIP successfully. Otherwise, it is, unfortunately, an exit.

The PIP is a hell of work for you and them, but it is also an excellent way to avoid firing. 80% of the PIPs I have implemented were passed successfully. That is the goal of such a process.

You can create and use a copy to dive deeper into my ​PIP template​.

Firing Compassionately

One of the critical aspects of firing someone is doing it compassionately.

Doing with compassion means looking at the world with the other person's eyes.

It means being mindful and aware of what they are going through.

My 2 cents:

• Work on compassionate management in advance.

• Familiarise yourself with the concept.

• Apply it daily or when arguments or heated moments come your way.

There is no really a process to use compassion. It's a way of doing things.

The process will be smoother by doing it compassionately.

You will navigate the stress better, but most importantly, the other person will ultimately feel that you did it correctly and that you felt for them.

Communicate Effectively

When firing someone, there is two-way communication:

• The actual delivery of the (bad) news.

• The communication with the team remains after.

The delivery has to happen in a safe place. If you are in person, book a room where the person can stay even longer than the allocated time.

Also, consider the reaction: It can be stressful; people usually cry or scream.

Make sure to be safe and in a private space.

If you do it remotely, it's easier from an organisation standpoint, but check on the person later.

Communicate effectively, coming from a neutral place and avoiding justifications. Clearly explain the output, the following steps, and the reasons for the motivation.

It is not the time for arguing.

It's the time to communicate clearly and understand things.

When it's over, gather the rest of the team and inform them about what happened.

It's not an easy moment; you must stay closer to the team that remains after.

Explain effectively why it happened, the steps you took and the output.

Reassure them if needed.

Avoid confrontation and labelling or blaming the person who was fired.

Treat them with respect even after they are gone.

Summary

I wish I had not fired anyone.

But on the other hand, I'm happy I did it because, most of the time, it ended a painful situation for both the company and the person involved.

For example, in my early days, I fired somebody who then joined a new company and progressed very quickly. A few years later, he became a successful sales director.

I fired someone else, who thanked me six months later. They hated the job and couldn't stand the product.

I also fired people who had never talked to me since.

All the outputs are acceptable. The most important thing is doing it with a process and with compassion.

Because we are dealing with people in one of their worst moments.

We have to keep this in mind and act accordingly.

Thank you for reading this far, see you next week.