Take Seriously Your Fire Power

Copyright © 2004 by Don Blohowiak
Don@LeadWell.com www.LeadWell.com

Many managers wait far too long to deal with marginal or poor performers, especially when it comes to the ultimate act of selection: parting someone from the work they cannot or will not do adequately.

"Transferring or firing someone will hurt morale," these managers reason.

And they are wrong.

Good employees are not fooled by their lagging or incompetent coworkers. They are not sorry to see misfits, malcontents, or incompetents go.

Most of the time, they're wondering about the competence of their overly tolerant manager: "What are you waiting for?!"

Now, that said, don't assume the posture of "Ming the Merciless." After all, your organization's "work force" is not composed of interchangeable parts. "Employees" is a word that describes real people (many with families) who have bills and obligations and very much need their paychecks.

As a leader you have a moral responsibility both to the individuals who draw their livelihood from your payroll, and the organization that makes that payroll possible. You need to treat both fairly, while putting the needs of the organization ahead of individuals.

That means taking the time to carefully hire well in the first place. And then manage people so that their skills and effort are maximized. When you take seriously the awesome duties of hiring and managing well, chances are you won't have to agonize over many dismissals.

And, then, on those rare occasions when you really do need to "pull the plug," a good, healthy parting of the ways likely will not hurt morale. It may very well boost it.

Lead Well® helps organizations to improve measurable results by developing their current and future leaders. For more information, please contact us. By phone, toll-free in the USA: 1-888-LeadWell (532-3935), or 1-609-716-9490. By email, Info@LeadWell.com.

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Don Blohowiak, a management consultant and popular conference speaker, is the author of several business books. The executive director of the Lead Well® Institute in Princeton, NJ, he may be reached at http://www.LeadWell.com/.

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Copyright © 2005, Don Blohowiak, Lead Well Institute

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