I talked to a business owner recently who’d kept a woman as his office manager for 2 years when he knew she wasn’t good for his business. He hated the idea of firing her but finally he had the conversation with her to tell her that he was letting her go. He was astounded when, at the end of the conversation the woman said, “Thank you. You’ve given me clarity!”

We have another client whose fired manager regularly socializes with him and people from the company.

Surprisingly, firing someone can actually have a positive outcome for that person... if you know how to fire with compassion.

Knowing how to fire with compassion starts with your mindset
The fact that you’re willing to have the discussion is evidence that you care more about the person than you care about yourself… because you’re willing to get out of your comfort zone and have an uncomfortable conversation. This is the foundation of the mindset you need to fire with compassion.

The mindset you want to have throughout both the decision process and in any termination conversation is your belief that the person will be better off working somewhere else where they’re valued, successful and making a difference. Working for you, they’re sensing they’re not performing well and they also have a sense that they’re not fulfilling their potential. And they probably feel bad about letting the team down and letting you down. Believe that there’s something better out there that suits their strengths and desires better—because that’s the truth.

The willingness to fire takes someone who cares about the whole team
Deciding to fire someone also says that you care about all the other people who work in your organization. Why? Because they all know who the strong-performing people are and who the under-performing people are and they’re watching you to see how you handle it.

Read more here.