“I’ll bounce back. I always do from being let go.”
These were his last words. And I couldn’t help feeling like this was confirmation I’d made the right decision.
How many times had this guy lost his job? It turns out, quite a lot actually.
We weren’t the first place he’d manipulated and exploited.
I had to fire a manager earlier this year. It was particularly hard as he was relatively new, and I’d had such a good feeling during the hiring process.
And yet within a few weeks he’d lied and stolen. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. But when confronted, he got defensive and accused everyone else of being liars.
Perplexed by his response, and regretful I’d failed to recognise such a blatant lack of integrity during our interviews, it was clear the situation was untenable. So I made the decision to cancel his contract.
And in doing so, I was forced to remember the steps I knew to be effective for letting someone go. Steps I’d hoped I wouldn’t need to use again.
And while it may turn out, as in the story above, that the person being fired was a bad actor (after he admitted he’d forged his application and had a history of stealing from and being fired by many employers), it won’t always be so clear cut.
Firing people is an inevitable part of management. And like anything, you owe it to others and to yourself to prepare and act with humility and professionalism.