Getting fired can be devastating, especially to a conscientious employee. As a manager in the tech startup world, where turnover can be quite high and things change fast, I’ve had to let many good people go — and when I do, I’m acutely aware of how painful it is for them. But because I also focus full-time on the art of sales, I’ve learned to think of it this way: Firing involves an element of selling. It requires empathy, asking the right questions, and guiding someone to your desired outcome in an authentic and honest way. While I’m selling people on the idea that they’ll no longer be at the company, I’m helping them to see it’s what is best for them as well. This may sound manipulative or callous; it isn’t. When done right, it actually makes the transition easier.
When parting with talented people who tried to make it work but couldn’t, I bring three things from my sales toolkit into the conversation:
— COMPASSION: I care about my employees and want them to land somewhere great if staying isn’t an option.
— CURIOSITY: I want to know what their goals are for themselves
— A PLAN: I do my research before every firing so that I walk into the room with ideas to help the employee move forward.
If there are skills the employee needs to work on to meet certain goals, we discuss those. I recommend books and training, as well as jobs at other businesses that may afford them the chance to learn what they need to learn.
I won’t pretend that this approach to firing takes away all the pain and hurt, or that I can always find the employee a new opportunity. Still, giving my best effort can lessen the blow. And eventually, when talented people do land elsewhere, I want them to be good ambassadors. I want them to be happy that they worked for me. I want them to continue to be supporters of my company. My business is on their resume. It’s on their LinkedIn profile. They don’t announce that they were fired, so unless an employer asks for that information, no one will know. If people who used to work for me are off doing great things, it becomes clear that my company has an eye for talent and can be a great steppingstone. That attracts top-notch applicants. Look at the “PayPal Mafia” — that’s the ultimate example.
I have had several fired employees with whom I’ve stayed in touch. Every time we see something good happening at each other’s companies, we send supportive messages to root each other on. We know that as awful as that moment was for both of us, it got us to a better place.
