The Need to Fire Employees by Phil Cooke
June 25, 2010 by Bob Regnerus
I read this post on Phil Cooke’s blog at http://www.philcooke.com/firing. This is very instructive for business owners, especially Christian Business owners. I’ll post my comments at the end of the guest post.
Ever struggled with firing someone? I was teaching media professionals in Santiago, Chile a few years ago, and found this post I had written shortly after the visit. One morning before class, I was reading in the last section of Acts 15 and the beginning of the next chapter from the New Testament. It was about a division that arose over a potential partner in ministry:
36- “Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.” 37 Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark. 38 But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. 39 Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus; 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”
(NKJV)
It’s interesting that Paul and Barnabas were a team up to that point, but for their next journey, Barnabas wanted to include someone named John (called Mark). But Paul knew that John had left them once before – in other words, (and for whatever reason), he just couldn’t cut it at the level they were working.
I’m sure Barnabas wanted to be sensitive an give him more chances. He probably said something like “But he has a good heart, he loves God, and should go with us.” But Paul absolutely stood his ground – not willing to take someone who had quit on them or not produced in the past. So they decided to go two different ways. Paul chose Silas – someone with a proven past – and Barnabas took John called Mark with him.
Then I did a search, and discovered that that’s the last time you hear anything at all about Barnabas and his work with John (called Mark.) It may have been successful, but considering how much the Bible had mentioned him earlier, if it was successful, I tend to think it would have been recorded in some way. On the other hand, Paul went on to another 12 chapters of journeys, exploits, and success for the Kingdom of God, and yet the trip Barnabas and John called Mark took is never mentioned again.
That’s when I was struck by the gravity of hiring employees, shaping the members of our team, and building departments in the hope of becoming more effective. In the book “Good to Great – Why Some Companies Make the Leap, and Others Don’t” by Jim Collins, he uses the analogy of a school bus. He believes the key to a successful organization is:
1) Getting the right people on the bus
2) Getting them in the right seats
3) And getting the wrong people off the bus
Chances are, what you’re doing in hiring, firing, and developing the team around you is probably more critical and important than even you might realize. I don’t know your particular situation, but as leadership expert John Maxwell would put it, developing the leaders around you is the most important aspect of your job.
My point? In the Christian community, we all tend to be compassionate when it comes to firing people, and as a result, our churches, ministries, and religious media organizations are filled with people who are unqualified, unenthusiastic, and costing us money, time, and momentum. If you encounter an employee who is detrimental to achieving your vision – for whatever reason – by all means help him or her, but first – get them “off the bus” so they stop becoming an obstacle to the forward movement of the organization. Believe me – all the other employees know that person is a problem, and it’s most likely causing great anxiety and resentment. So by all means, get them help if they want it, but first, get them off the team and replace them with someone who values your vision, and is committed to seeing that vision accomplished.
I’d like to hear from anyone who’s experienced anxiety over firing anyone, but who discovered that once it was done, it was the right thing for the organization…
I encourage you to visit Phil’s blog at http://www.philcooke.com/firing and enter your own comments. Here’s what I commented:
Phil, You’re spot on. I had to fire several people in the past year, both for performance reasons and for financial. Firing someone was the hardest, most emotional thing I ever had to do. I was physically sick about it, but this person was not catching the vision, was mishandling client relationships, and costing me money – but yet I wanted to be gracious. I misunderstood was grace was. That by enabling this person, I was doing damage to her, to my clients, to my other staff, and to me. It had to be done. Doesn’t mean we don’t love the people, it can be done in love, but when it has to be done. It has to be done.
What do you think?
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Firing someone is one of the most difficult experience of anyone’s profession career, especially when it involves a faith-based company or ministry. I suppose many feel that ministries are immune to poor personnel performances, necessitating dismissals. The sad truth is, no organization is immune from the harsh reality that, sometimes, someone needs to go. When you sit on my side of the desk, professional standards and Christian-based policies and procedures dictate that I give every opportunity and chance, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out. I can honestly say that I have never terminated anyone in anger or unjustly. People deserve better. But I have terminated someone who I knew was not a good fit far too late. My job should be to know the difference between the two. I always strive for fairness and objectivity, trying my best to make it work, either in their current position or finding a place that suits them better. But when every attempt fails, I am honest , caring and compassionate, but firm and direct. I seek to encourage and not destroy. And I seek to invest my years of knowledge and perspective into them, that they might, hopefully, grow and learn from the total experience. Does it always work? Not always. People you fire sometimes get angry and bitter and say terrible things about you. I do not have to answer to that person. I must remember that I have been afforded stewardship over a ministry organization and will be held accountable for every action taken, to my Board of Directors and, more importantly, my God. I will always remember a management principle I learned very early in my college career. A great professor of mine imparted this jewel of wisdom: It’s not the ones you fire that come back to haunt you. It’s the ones you should have, but didn’t. Pearls of wisdom, even after 40 years.