How to Fire Good People Who Are Bad Employees

Firing someone who's lazy or toxic, that's easy. But firing someone who's kind, loyal, well liked, and just not getting the job done, that's one of the hardest things you'll ever have to do as a business owner. Here's the truth. Most people you hire will be good human beings. It's just what I found in my over 15 years of entrepreneurship. But good doesn't always mean effective. You can be a great person and still be a poor fit for the role they're hired for. And keeping someone in a position that they're underperforming in, that doesn't make you nice. It makes you the bottleneck. I'm going to get into the cost of keeping someone who's not a good fit. But there's two things I need to highlight first. Number one, if somebody's not working out or as a business leader, everybody's watching what you do and don't do, and your business starts to drift into mediocrity. Okay? This is the most dangerous thing out of all. You should be always thriving for excellence for being the best in your industry. And once you start sacrificing your standards, especially when it comes to the talent in your business, this is when you slip into just being okay. Now, Steve Jobs is not a perfect human being, but he put it best. He said the problem with B players is they hire C players and C players drag down the whole team. And A players want to work with A players. The moment they're surrounded by anything less, they start leaving. Let that sink in. Keeping someone who isn't performing can cost you your best people. So here's what to do with respect and clarity. You want to document any challenges, problems early. That's the first thing you want to do. Make sure you've done that. You've communicated expectations, you've given feedback. You allow them to have a clear path to improve if they can't meet the mark. And after that, it's time to let them go. Now, let me be honest with you. I've done this so many times, and nine times out of ten, they get fired. Okay, they do not improve. But I have to do this to be fair. And because there's that one time out of 10 where they do change, they do improve, they have clarity and they actually become an A player. It's rare, but it's worth doing what you're supposed to do. And give them a track to get better, to improve, to give them feedback, give them a chance. It's worth doing so that you're Respectful and you're doing the right thing for your company, but also for that 1 out of 10 times that they are going to change and they are going to become an incredible asset to your team. Number two, don't personalize it in this process. Professionalize it. You're not firing a person. You're addressing a performance misalignment. I know that sounds like corporate speak, but I'm serious here. You need to address this from a professional point of view. You could say something like this. This isn't about you as a person. You're actually enjoyable to work with. It's about the role and it's about what the business needs right now. Unfortunately, this just isn't the right fit. This makes it honest and respectful. Number three, make it clean and clear. Don't make it vague to be sensitive and, you know, not hurt their feelings. You could be professional, but you need to be clear. Be direct. No fluff, no long speeches, no guilt tripping. Letting them go with dignity and clarity is the best exit you can offer. Make sure it's clear that the relationship is over, that they will no longer be working for you and what the next steps are. Don't be vague. Don't beat around a bush. Don't make it sound like they're not fired, but they are fired. No, there's no time for that. You need to work on the next hire. And if you've done what you're supposed to do and you're professional about it and you give them a chance to prove they know it's coming. Listen, I've been there. I've had to let go of someone who was one of the kindest, most loyal people I ever hired. But they were missing deadlines. Projects were stalled. Others were stepping in to cover them. Sometimes I knew people were covering them and sometimes I didn't. I found out later and I waited too long because I didn't want to hurt them. Sometimes firing someone is freeing them to find where they can thrive, where they're a better fit, where they're more valuable. Before I go, I want to leave you with this. If you're struggling with this decision, here's the truth. You're not being cold. You're being clear. Your job is to protect the mission, the team, and the people who are showing up and doing the work. And your customers, of course. Letting go of someone who isn't a fit, it's hard. But it's a decision your future self will thank you for and your team will thank you for. You know, you're supposed to do this. You know that you have to do this, so do it. 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