While the indecisive and unequivocal Halleck excelled at much, Lincoln and the Union desperately needed a leader more than an advisor. The Union’s field command had floundered without direction, costing lives and wasting resources. The impact of Halleck’s deficiencies accumulated until the damage caused outweighed the value contributed and Lincoln removed him.
Leaders face the same calculation today. You have coached and given multiple opportunities for improvement, but you have seen enough and the time has come.
Proceed Carefully
The reluctance most managers feel about dealing with performance issues acts as a protection, of sorts, for employees. The leaders’ objective is always to manage expectations and performance to avoid such outcomes.
Respect Preserves Trust
How you proceed communicates a great deal to others. No matter the cause of the termination, respect is still the order of the day—even if the individual, due to singular circumstances, may not, in your mind, deserve the typical approach.
Your decision to treat all with due consideration will strengthen the authority structure, your reputation, and your organization’s standing. This is especially true for those—within and outside your organization—who will hear about your decision but will never know the details due to privacy considerations.
Your Perspective is Already Apparent
Once your doubt has formed into a determination, it is too late to turn back. You have no choice but to make the necessary preparations and proceed.
Daily actions and language convey your confidence, or lack thereof, in team members. Any hesitation will reveal itself in the way you delegate and follow up on directives. You will unconsciously favor more reliable resources and pair others to ensure adequate outcomes where ordinarily the individual alone would suffice.
Your people are observant; they know the work and they know you. A delay can convey that job performance is no longer as crucial. An erosion of confidence or trust in you affects the authority structure and employee engagement.
A crisp, clear decision strengthens your team’s performance and frees the exiting employee to pursue a position better suited to their gifts and abilities.
No Surprises
As in other job performance discussions, no employee should ever be shocked by the conversation or decisions (unless the individual lacks self-awareness to a remarkable degree). Authority-building leaders hold periodic, plain discussions with employees about core skills, expectations and deficiencies, and give opportunity to modify activities. Individuals are rightly removed when their job performance and/or their personal behavior significantly affects their team and the organization.
Performance Related
The individual’s performance has been reviewed, your remediation efforts and clear behavioral expectations have failed to yield sufficient results, and now you believe your team’s performance is being held back. You’ve consulted with your superiors, peers, and the Human Resources professionals available to you and are most fortunate if these discussions remain completely confidential. If word has leaked, proceed without delay.
Behavior Related
Here, an employee’s negative action(s) have violated policies, norms, or regulatory requirements, perhaps the result of an incident which cannot be ignored.
Investigative efforts to uncover what transpired may yield fewer details than you wish. Employees are usually reluctant to divulge negative information for fear of injuring peer relationships, career prospects, and/or reputations. Talk to multiple witnesses, Human Resources, document and confirm any verbal instructions given to you about the situation and suggestions on how best to proceed.
Collect the required information and guidance at a pace which corresponds to the situation’s seriousness. Respond too quickly and you risk being seen as impulsive—too willing to believe reports which may not have been adequately verified. Too long a delay and you may be perceived as indecisive and hesitant, a detriment to both your career and the health of the authority structure.
Prune for Growth
Pruning your team should be done carefully, in a process, and with the best interests of your team and its performance in mind. This reinforces that you value both delivering results and maintaining a supportive, collaborative team. As you proceed respectfully, it showcases your professionalism and leadership. Your decision and the manner of its implementation will strengthen the authority structure.
Excerpt adapted from Chapter 12, Authority Prunes Protectively, from The Lincoln Authority by Keith N. Miles
