Pull the Trigger to Help You Both
Pull the trigger. It can be best for both of you. Letting people go should never feel good. If we can lightly let people go, then we need to think a little about our humanity. Conversely, if we cannot let people go, we are in another ditch.
Former Secretary of State Collin Powell is very quotable in the area of leadership, and one that often comes to mind for me is: Constantly prune. See also Great Leadership or Just Common Leadership.
No company has all A players. Naturally, you have some B players. I want to talk about the C players. C players should find another place to work. We should admit that we have failed to make this person successful and let then go with sorrow. We have failed as much as they have. We could not lead them to success. We should prune them off the team as they hold everyone else back.
People have fired me in my past, and I do not look back on those as the worst times. They were good for me though painful. I needed to find another place to put my skills to use, and I became a better man for the experience. You should do the same for the people on your team. Do not let them be a C player for you. Be bold and let them go.
Naturally, under the China labor law, it has gotten more financially painful to let workers go. However, they pull your team down. Get advice, think clearly, and prune. Every organization needs it.
Let’s Pull the Trigger to Help All Concerned
I recruit carefully anf develop faithfully, and so do not often have a C player. Nevertheless, it does happen, and I have to be strong enough to admit my mistake and let them go. It is best for both of us.
This thinking is why we interview everyone for over an hour and background check with a heart to find out who is real and to kick out those who are not. It is hard work, but we love it.