MGW #24 - How To Fire People
Welcome back to the newly relaunched Mighty Good Work with your hosts Aaron Schmookler, Co-founder and Trainer of The Yes Works and Kristin Adams, Co-director of Startup Grind and first time founder of ALL2. Last episode we discussed shifting both the thought process surrounding, dialogue about and facilitation of people quitting their jobs and this episode we are focused on the other side of that equation - how to fire people compassionately.
While one might think that goes without saying, you’d be surprised what still occurs in the workplace on the regular. As a podcast dedicated to leaders and aspiring leaders who insist that work should be good, even in the toughest of circumstances, we’d argue that a refresher course is in order.
There's a common saying in the startup world the one great hire and the one great fire. Both are inevitable milestones – rites of passage in one’s career, if you will – so knowing what you should and should not do is pretty key.
Firing DOs:
Firing DON’Ts:
While today’s topic doesn’t seem to align with workplace happiness, the fact is that as tough as it might be in the moment, the outcomes are usually quite positive. When handled correctly and with compassion, firing an individual can lead to happier people – both the employees who remain with the company and those who left in their new
Folks, thank you so much for your time and attention. If you have questions, want to argue the merit of anything we’ve proposed today, have other ideas to contribute, etc. – we are happy to engage as long as the gloves don't come off. ☺
Kristin Adams: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinadams/
Aaron Schmookler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmookler/
This has been Mighty Good Work and you are mighty good folks for joining us. Thanks for listening.
MGW #23 - How to Retain Talent
Welcome to the Mighty Good Work relaunch. The focus hasn’t changed – this is still a podcast for people who want to make work a place worthy of the time we dedicate to it and for leaders and aspiring leaders who are committed to inspiring the same. We’ve tweaked the format, including a permanent new co-host, in the hopes of adding diversity of viewpoints, experience and topics for the benefit of our listeners. We are excited to share version 2.0 with you and on that note, let’s get started!
In this episode we focus on shifting both the thought process surrounding, dialogue about and facilitation of people quitting their jobs. With tenure averaging 18-24 months (and dropping), if you're thinking about why and how people leave their jobs in the right way, you have an opportunity to actually do something to retain your best and brightest longer.
Conventional wisdom is that people leave their jobs – having outgrown the role. The latest data would tell you that people leave people, more specifically, their managers. We contend that this is not an either/or situation, but rather people leave “bad experiences” and as such leaders must address the issue more holistically.
How you handle attrition factors into retention, as this communicates/models how others can expect to be treated. While it may seem counterintuitive, a common recurring theme revolves around the exit.