I joke with new clients, that as an executive coach, I’ve got stories for days…
That’s because after 13 years in the public sector, 3 years in private business, and 6 years as an entrepreneur, you learn a few things. Unfortunately, my biggest “learning experiences” tend to come from my biggest mistakes.
Like how to hire the wrong people.
Now, I don’t want to brag or anything… but I’ve hired some doozies over the course of my 20+ years in business.
There’s the guy who looked like a PERFECT fit from the outside (said all the right things, did all the right things), but also ended up costing the company thousands of dollars in fake contracts he’d written, just to maintain a façade that would guarantee his salary.
Or the woman who couldn’t take a joke when admittedly, more than one of us on the team causally teased her about returning for her second day to the office. In full disclosure, we were relieved that our boisterous personalities hadn’t “scared her off” – but she contacted corporate HR claiming an intimidating work environment and immediately resigned.
Yes… I’ve been through a few bad hires. But worse than that – I’ve also been through a few bad FIRES as well.
I’ve had to fire the 12 year, go-to producing veteran… The “face of the company” … The darling of the organization… Not to mention the dreaded, “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to let you go” conversation with 6 people on the same day.
You see – when you hire poorly, you’re forced to fire well. And nobody likes getting fired, which makes “firing well” nearly impossible.
I tell you all this to help you realize – there is another way.
When you hire well – you rarely have to fire at all.
Trouble is, it takes quite a bit of time to hire well.
But I guarantee – it’s nothing compared to the amount of time it takes to clean up an ugly firing.
Therefore, here are my “top tips” for hiring and firing well:
1. TAKE YOUR TIME. Look – I realize what I’m about to ask you is nearly impossible. Everyone needs THE RIGHT PERSON – RIGHT NOW. But hiring the right person is almost never about hiring quickly. Rather, it’s almost always about taking time to outline the soft skills, the hard skills, and the cultural fit you need to move your company forward. If the perfect person does show up on your doorstep, you might be tempted to show them your corner office after 15 minutes – but I implore you, DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE and pause. It takes only a few extra steps to triple check their references, heighten your ability to notice any personality quirks, and feel-out this person’s salary tolerances in order to guarantee they’re as awesome as you think they are. And trust me – if they’re the right person, they’ll stick around. And you’ll certainly have less regret.
2. DON’T BE FOOLED BY AN INSIDE JOB. For many business owners, the best sales job the new hire ever does, IS ON YOU. Unfortunately, that means you need to ask yourself a few questions… For example, what did he say that made you fall for his sales tactics in the first place? Do you tend to hire the same kind of person over and over, only to be disappointed over and over? Do you have a diversified staff – or does everyone seem to be cut from the same cloth? These are the kinds of questions which require personal reflection – but will also keep you from making the same mistakes again and again. If the best sales job your new hire has done is on you (because they can’t seem to close any significant business outside of your office), you might need to realize your employees aren’t the problem – your gullibility is.
3. DO THE RIGHT THING. During my professional years, I’ve fired a top-producing President’s Club member, the most senior employee within the whole organization, AND the nicest guy in the world (who really, really wanted to keep his job), for one singular reason: It was the right thing to do. These employees were convinced they were living their best lives… And to be honest, deep down, I knew they could all do a lot better. I could see they were stuck. And even though I gave them opportunities to step up with the right tools and plenty of encouragement, they just weren’t able to rise to the occasion. And guess what? After letting these 3 people go and an appropriate amount of time had passed, ALL THREE former employees came back to thank me for firing them! That’s right – they THANKED ME for releasing them and allowing them to pursue that which truly made their heart sing. If your top producer kills it with new business – but is a gigantic pain in the patootie for everyone else in the office, you’ve got to make a tough choice. Don’t get caught up in past performance. Do right by everyone in the organization. Do the right thing.
Those are my personal Top Tips for hiring and firing well! As difficult as it may seem, leaning into these three ideas will radically change the direction of your business – and might just save you from bragging about your own unnecessary “learning experiences” in the future!
Carrie Cox
The Hemp Business Advisors
Co-Founder and Corporate Liaison