When to Let a Team Member Go
Source: ConvergenceCoaching, LLC Inspired Ideas
The following includes excerpts, reproduced with permission, from a blog entry by Jennifer Wilson.
I don't know how many times I have had managing partners or executive committee members share a story of a poor-performing or poor-behaving partner whom they have let go. Inevitably they will say, “We had all of these reasons why we couldn't or shouldn't take action. But when we finally did, all of our reasons were invalid. We are so much better off without them!”
At ConvergenceCoaching, we are big believers that all people deserve a chance to be successful. Ways that you can ensure the success of your people – including partners – include:
- Defining expected behaviors in writing.
- Documenting roles, responsibilities, and measures of success in writing.
- Holding regular check-in meetings to provide guidance and feedback to your people.
- Delivering annual feedback formally and paying for the performance you are experiencing.
One of the reasons why many of us allow poor performance and bad behavior to persist is that we feel we haven't done all that we can to support the success of the person. If you're engaged in that conversation about someone in your firm, go through all four steps outlined above over the next 90 to 180 days to ensure you have done what you need to do to ensure their success. Then, if performance doesn't improve, seek labor counsel and take the steps to let the person go – no matter what level they are in the firm.
Ask yourself if you've done all that you can do to turn the performance around. If you have, then what are you waiting for?
For the complete blog entry, read “You ARE Better Off Without Them.”
From ConvergenceCoaching, LLC Inspired Ideas, blog.convergencecoaching.com, September 7, 2012.