<\/p>\n
Maybe you\u2019ve heard the phrase, \u201cHire slow, fire fast\u201d?<\/p>\n
And yet, for many of us, firing somebody is really hard. And so we put it off.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve heard every line in the book.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh he\u2019s been here forever \u2013 we\u2019d lose so much institutional knowledge.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHe is excellent at his job \u2013 he\u2019s just arrogant and uncivil to his colleagues.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure I\u2019ve really been clear \u2013 maybe I<\/strong> need to do a better job.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIt just feels so cruel to fire someone and it would hurt staff morale too much.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Or the one I hear most often.<\/p>\n \u201cOur organization is like a family \u2013 I just can\u2019t.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Well nonprofit leader, YES YOU CAN.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s not a family. No one is a sacred cow. A person is not doing an \u2018excellent\u2019 job if he treats people in your organization so poorly it impacts their<\/em> job satisfaction.<\/p>\n I know it\u2019s tough, but today it is time to put on your big boy and big girl pants and just do it. It\u2019s necessary for the health of your organization.<\/p>\n It is time to take a good hard look at the folks on your bus. You have folks (board and staff) who are rockstars. You would weep if they asked to get off the bus. There are also folks you\u2019re just not sure about.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how to deal with the folks who really just need to get off at the next stop.<\/p>\n The short answer to this question is probably \u201cyesterday or earlier.\u201d Truly, I have never in my professional career heard a single manager utter the words, \u201cGee, I wish I had waited longer to fire that person.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The longer answer will offer you more incentive.<\/p>\n Ask yourself this question. Pretend that I\u2019m a donor and gave a restricted gift to cover the annual salary of the person you are considering asking to exit your bus. I ask you to tell me how that person is doing and what that person is contributing so that I can know that my investment is paying off.<\/p>\n Can you answer with honesty and integrity that you are investing my dollars wisely and well?<\/p>\n If this question just made you squirm or you imagined the conversation and realized you would not be able to look me in the eye, then fearless leader, it\u2019s time.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Your donors and the people you serve deserve strong management, strong leadership, and the best possible people on their bus.<\/p>\n First, let\u2019s be clear. I am not a human resources professional nor a lawyer. You should have both of these skills sets on your board or in your sphere of influence to call on in these situations.<\/p>\n My goal here is to create a road map that may give you tools (and courage?) to do the right thing.<\/p>\n The main thing I want you to consider is there is a difference (sometimes) between what is technically legal to do and what is the right thing to do<\/em>.<\/p>\n I have heard clients say, \u201cI don\u2019t need a lot of documentation \u2013 she is an at will employee.\u201d <\/em>I suppose that is technically<\/em> true but we are talking about people here. You want to treat folks with the same degree of respect you would expect yourself if the roles were reversed.<\/p>\n In addition, the \u201ctechnical\u201d is only one piece of the puzzle. A person who is separated from your organization without documented efforts to communicate the need for change is not only being treated with disrespect, but that person can also cause a great deal of collateral damage \u2013 to the organization\u2019s reputation and to yours as an organizational leader.<\/p>\n And unless you need to fire someone for something egregious, I\u2019m here to tell you that it does not need to be like this.<\/p>\n In this approach, the goal is to gently lead someone to realize it\u2019s time to move on. \u201cTell me about how you are enjoying your work.\u201d \u201cIt feels like we have been having conversations about missed deadlines a lot lately \u2013 what\u2019s going on for you?\u201d <\/em>Ask general questions that start a conversation.<\/p>\n I coached a client whose Development manager needed to move on. I offered questions to my client that ultimately led this staff person to say, \u201cI\u2019d be fine raising money for any <\/em>cause.\u201d This led to a conversation about a lack of mission passion and soon thereafter, the staff member identified a new job and left the organization.<\/p>\n This approach is about teasing the truth out of a staff member who needs to get off the bus and needs to reach that conclusion and admit it to themselves and then to you.<\/p>\n This is an important one. Here\u2019s what it sounds like. \u201cWell I have <\/strong>to do it myself because if I give the task to him, it won\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/em> Here\u2019s the problem. You can\u2019t fire someone for being a poor performer if you don\u2019t give her tasks they perform poorly.<\/p>\n Yes, I am aware that this is hard. You don\u2019t think there is room for failure. But if you don\u2019t have evidence of poor performance there are two big problems. First, it\u2019s harder to move the person out. Second, you become resentful because the person isn\u2019t really doing her\/his job \u2013 other folks (maybe you) are covering. There\u2019s no trust that the job will get done to your satisfaction.<\/p>\n So take a deep breath and give your poor performer a responsibility a very good hire should be able to knock out of the park. Be prepared for a setback and then document the setback. A few solid pieces of evidence can be enough.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s another place where managers trip up. They LOWER<\/em> their expectations of low performers. This is a variation on \u201ccovering\u201d but with a twist. You don\u2019t expect much so you don\u2019t ask for much. And everyone else looks on and wonders why they<\/em> are being held to higher standards. Your credibility as a manager? Not so good.<\/p>\n This is where annual reviews become essential. If you can\u2019t do something wildly formal, use a job description and evaluate staff with that as your guide. Set annual goals. Visit those goals quarterly. And for your poor performers, set the goals high, as if this staff members was your star performer.<\/p>\n By the way, attributes count here too. This is where job descriptions fall a bit short. Include goals for how this staff person should behave<\/em> in the workplace and hold everyone accountable to attributes like teamwork, generosity, responsiveness to your colleagues, diplomacy with the board. These attributes are core to excellent performance.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say your poor performer makes a visible and problematic mistake. Use that moment as an opportunity to clarify your expectations. \u201cI\u2019ve noted quite a number of problems with your work and I\u2019m not going to lie. They are very serious but I want to give you every opportunity to succeed. So I\u2019ve spent time looking at the next 30\/60\/ 90 days (your call) and have come up with a set of goals the organization needs you to meet in that time. I\u2019m confident that you will give them your best effort. We\u2019ll meet again at 90 days and review where we are at.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The goals should be specific and ambitious. If you are really clear that this person should be escorted off the bus, she won\u2019t disappoint. She won\u2019t meet the goals and you can part ways. And you can hold your head up high that you gave the employee a real chance to succeed.<\/p>\n This is another approach that can work as long as the role change \/ job change is authentic. Restructure in some way that makes sense for the organization and essentially eliminate the job your poor performer currently holds. Create a new job description for a role that your poor performer is not qualified for. Be honest about it and explain what you are doing and why and be equally honest that s\/he would not be a candidate for this new position. If you are able to offer some kind of severance in this situation, all the better.<\/p>\n I\u2019d love to hear your thoughts on this tough subject. Is there an approach you have used that worked for all concerned? Do you disagree with what I\u2019ve put forth? What do you <\/em>think is the key to effectively escorting someone of the organizational bus while driving the bus down the \u201chigh road\u201d?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You have folks who are rockstars. Some you’re not sure about. And those who really just need to get off at the next stop. Here’s how to kick ’em to the curb.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":586729,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-586728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ceo","category-senior-staff"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHOW TO KNOW WHEN IT\u2019S TIME TO FIRE SOMEONE\u00a0<\/em><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
DO THE RIGHT THING \u2013 FIRE WITH RESPECT<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
FIVE GOOD APPROACHES TO ESCORT FOLKS OFF THE BUS<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
1) Lead the horse to water.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
2) Stop covering for him.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
3) Set clear and high (but not unrealistic) expectations.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
4) Develop a \u2018Performance Improvement Plan\u2019<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
5) Change the job description<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
FINAL THOUGHTS<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
\n
AND WHAT ABOUT YOU?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n