ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - August 9, 2002

I feel like I am suffering from travel withdrawal! It's been almost two weeks at home and it looks like it will be awhile before I take to the road again. This will give me time to get the office shoveled out and work on my new Pizza Insight program that will be marketed through Pizza Today magazine. It is like my Gold Group but focused on the pizza industry.

THE BEST DEFENSE IS A GOOD OFFENSE
My colleague, human relations consultant Robert Kausen, reminded me of an important dimension to a issue that was included last week

Bill, just a thought about Lee Kempisty's note on security. It seems to me that these days when you fire (terminate, lay off, get rid of) an employee, it is critical to do a lot of listening. It is helpful if you can get past the employee's disappointment and anger until the employee hopefully comes to realize his or her responsibility in the matter. Too often in situations of misconduct, managers are filled with righteous indignation and use a sharp tongue to conduct the termination process. Terminating an employee is rarely easy or pleasant. But if it is done with understanding and patience, a termination interview has the potential to defuse the disappointed and sometimes irate employee. It may even help him or her learn something from the experience. The manager may also learn a thing or two about the manager's role in the event. It never hurts to listen respectfully--and it often works magic.

A note from the Doc:
I usually try to keep the EHC short, but Robert raises an important point that deserves a little more space. For what it is worth, here is a chapter from my book, There's GOT to Be an Easier Way to Run a Business that relates to the issue at hand. The chapter is titled "Freeing Up the Future."

Shortly after I started working with these new ideas, I had a problema member of my staff who was not performing up to my standards. If I could have become angry, I could have fired her, but I saw that she was doing the best she could. Still, I was not getting the performance I needed. I knew I had to do something . . . but what?

How bad can you get?
By way of background, I must confess that I was never very good at firing people. How bad? When I was running a hotel in the Virgin Islands, I let one of my staff go and did it so poorly that the entire crew walked out in protest and someone came back in the middle of the night and sabotaged the water system in the condos. That is bad! (In self-defense, I should point out that I was working 120 hours a week and was totally brain dead, but that is no excuse.) In contrast, if I fired twenty people in the course of my 4+ years at the Olympics - and I probably did - nineteen of them thanked me! I was stunned!

Based on my application of the principles we have discussed, here is my format for letting someone go

Can you live with it?
If you can, keep coaching. The question is less about whether they can do the job than it is about whether they will do the job. This is the time for you to explore the possibilities we discussed in the previous chapter.

Respect the power of timing
If you can't live with it, pick your moment as best you can. Understand that there is a time when people can hear you and there is a time when they can't. If you have just had a major upset on the job, this is not the time to have a serious discussion about someone's future with the company. Take a break and deal with it when everyone is in a more receptive mood.

Maintain a no-fault perspective
Understand that is not their fault. They asked for a job and you gave it to them. We all tried our best but it just didn't work. You do not need a "bad guy" and, in fact, looking for one will only make things worse.

Operate from respect
Just because someone did not meet your performance standards does not make them a bad person. They are good at something but this just wasn't it! Respect is a key factor in keeping the exchange on a positive level.

Be clear and direct
Don't beat around the bush. Get to the point quickly and say what you have to say. It will be less painful (and more respectful) for everyone involved.

Clean it up and move on
If you make a mess, take responsibility for cleaning it up and get on with your life. All you can do is the best you can do and it won't necessarily go smoothly every time.

Adios, Harry
To illustrate, let's say that is time to let Harry go. You have worked with him and worked with him and it is just not happening. Pick your moment as best you can and when Harry comes into the office, the scene might sound roughly like this

"Harry, this just isn't working. You know it and I know it . . . and it is frustrating to me. I am sure that if I was more skillful, we might have found a way to make it work, but I have tried everything I can think of . . . and I know you have, too. There are just too many other demands on my time and I can't spend any more time on this. You are going to have to find something else."

Nineteen times out of twenty, they would say, "Well, you're right," and we parted on good terms. I admit that I did have one person go ballistic, but the results were still far better than I had ever achieved before.

My point is that it doesn't have to be any more complicated than this. The fact that it isn't working should not come as a surprise to anyone and you won't do the Harrys in your life (or yourself) any favors by dragging out the inevitable.

In closing:
PS: I hope you find this information helpful. If you would like to explore these ideas in more detail, click here to order a copy of "Easier Way.".

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