The Need to Fire Employees by Phil Cooke

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?

Popularity: 100%

5 Tips to Get Unstuck When You Hit a Plateau

Regardless of level of personal and professional success, track record of accomplishments, drive to achieve or positive outlook on life and career, everyone will find themselves at a performance plateau from time to time. For the ambitious individual with big goals, dreams and desires hitting a plateau can be a daunting and draining experience as hard work and engagement fails to yield the additional results or traction desired and a frustrating feeling of being stuck.

Recognizing and acknowledging a plateau phase in life and career is an important step to adjusting actions and freeing the creative freshness and thought that often is the catalyst for the energizing (and often highly productive) breakthrough phase that follows the plateau period.

Signs, symptoms or feelings that may indicate a plateau phase:

• You are trying as hard (or harder) as your normal output to achieve increased results, yet the increased results are not happening, despite an increase in effort

• The focus and activities of your work feel monotonous…one meeting rolls into the next and one day into another without any real clear purpose or sense of measurable progress occurring

• You feel a sense of annoyance or resentment to the level of work you are putting in vs. the results you are getting

• Things feel stagnant and boring vs. fresh and energizing

Here are a few tips to consider implementing when the feeling of stagnation and reduced traction of the plateau phase strikes:

1. Take a mini-vacation and tailor it to provide the opposite of what you are feeling
   • If you are bored by the monotony and routine of your work and life, then choose something spontaneous, adventuresome and active. Perhaps a quick getaway to an all inclusive resort with lots of activities, music, dancing and “fun” of a festive crowd is just the ticket to recharge your spirit.
   • If however, your source of stagnation derives from feeling burned out or stressed because of working in a pressure cooker environment or you are fatigued mentally and physically from the daily grind, then consider a quiet escape to allow the noise in your head to recede and your body and spirit to recharge from all of the hustle and bustle. Maybe a camping trip over a long weekend, renting a cabin in the woods without phone, TV or internet (and please, leave the blackberry at home!) will provide the calming environment that will open your mind to the creative breakthrough idea and clarity that has been sorely missing.
2. Change your routine
   • Drive a different route to work than normal
   • If you typically work out after work, wake up an hour early and go the gym in the morning instead for the next month
   • Rearrange your office
3. Set a Short Term Personal Goal, Then Take Action and Achieve It
   • Lose 5 pounds in the next two weeks
   • Sign up for the guitar lessons you’ve always wanted to take and learn how to actually play “Stairway to Heaven,” or whatever song that would be your idea of fun
4. Read a Personal Development Book. The insight and creative energy boost that often comes from reading and reflecting on a specific area of personal growth may provide one or two pearls for you to try and apply that will get you to the next level
5. Take a Class or Attend a Seminar that will Stretch Your Professional Growth. Building news skills and expanding capabilities is an empowering process that will free you up to implement new skills or approaches to your role.

A fresh approach is critical to breaking through during a plateau phase. So whether you try one or all of the tips above or create a tactic of your own, be sure to step out and break the routine of normal. Shake things up a bit of you want to achieve better outcomes and simply trying harder is not working. Remember, hitting the occasional plateau is something everyone experiences periodically, but how long you choose to be stuck in that phase of your profession or life is up to you.

Author: Joel Goode; Career Development & Life Coach

www.bestlifeandcareer.com

Popularity: 35%

Hearing The Voice Of God In Business

There are common questions from our reader and listeners. There are many different ways  this question is stated, but it revolves around the basic theme of…

How Do I Hear God, Establish Goals & Plan?

If I wanted to confuse the heck out of you, I could give you all the nice little scriptures about man and God’s planning. But frankly, I find those kind of useless when it comes to implementing day in and day out in business. So let me share with you, where I am in this journey. This is not a fool proof way, but it’s where I am. In the end you need to sort this out with God, but maybe my sharing will speed you along this path. This may take a few posts, but what the heck.

Okay, lets start first and foremost with the biggie. Your Dreams.

Huh? My dreams? What does that have to do with planning and goals and day to day work? It has everything to do with all it and you can’t start this discussion until you understand dreams.

For the record, I’m not talking about your night dreams. I’m talking about the dreams in your heart. To illustrated this, I’m gonna get personal.

When I was the age of 9 or 10 (can’t remember exactly) I used to play a ton of golf at the country club. One day, I’m out playing late in the afternoon, the Fitzgeralds come up and join me on the 5th hole. They ask me who my father was, the standard questions.

Then they ask the biggie. “Matt, what do you want to be when you grow up?” My answer (and I can remember it as if it just happened) was… “I’m going to be the second Irish Catholic President of the United States of America.”

Fast forward a few years to 6th grade. My goal? To be a US Senator or President of the United States.

Throughout my life, I’ve been class President, Alumni Association President. Always been in a place of leadership. However, always in a place of leadership where I’m rebuilding or resurrecting something. Never in a place of taking over a thriving situation.

Couple this with all through my youth, as young as 13, I had plans and dreams to own my own business. First an importing company, then a record label. I’d write mini business plans at the age of 13, come up with numbers to make it work.

When I applied to get into the Golf School at Ferris State University, my essay needed to include goals. They were.. “Become a GM at the age of 30 ( a full 15 years ahead of the average), own my own golf course, or golf schools or be in a place of ownership.”

Can you see the trend? The dreams God has placed in my heart for as long as I can remember have been about leadership, ownership, doing great things in business.

To this day, I dream about running successful companies, to do ‘great things’ in business.

I love business. Always have. Can’t help myself when I look at a business to reinvent it, or figure it out.

God has placed this dream in my heart. Even when I didn’t know Him personally, it’s been a dream. Today, with my life totally given to Him, my dreams are still the same. Never has it been about missionary work or being a pastor. Never.

It’s always about resurrecting businesses, turnarounds, getting into something and making it work, then moving on. It’s never been about staying in one place doing one thing for 40 years.

It’s why, when my last company failed and others are suggesting for me to get a job or put out my resume that I balked. A few times, going to the computer, getting ready to apply for job and litterally hearing God say… “What are you doing? Why are you applying, that’s not what I have for you.”

For the record, he didn’t tell me what he had for me. He just told me what it wasn’t.

God perfectly made you when you were conceived. You are perfectly made today. Your dreams, no matter how crazy or nutty or off beat they are, are perfectly made.

The voice that comes to you in the day, while you are driving, the things you fantasize about that are good and pure, are from God. Those your dreams. That is him speaking to you. He wants you to step it out in faith.

When God speaks, he doesn’t speak like Charlton Heston or in a big booming voice. He speaks in quietness. With you, alone in a car, or on a plane, train or at the kids baseball game.

If you are lost right now as to what God wants you to do, I suggest you look at the track record of your life. He has prepared everything for you in the form of training over your life.

I see it in my life. My dreams have ALWAYS been about business. Never about serving in the mission field or being on a church fund raising committee. They’ve always been about leading a business enterprise and seeing it work well.

For years, I tried to suppress this desire. Thinking that there had to be something more noble. In the end, God showed me that my dreams are just as important to Him as the dreams of a song writer to write great songs sung by millions. Or the actor who desires to be in great films, the pastor who leads millions to Christ.

They all matter to God.

Grab hold of the dreams in your heart. They can only be placed there by one ‘person’ and that is the Lord our God.  Embrace them, walk them out and live in faith, that even when things crumble down, God is using that to take you to a new place of new heights in hearing Him.

Popularity: 27%

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