How to Overcome Your Fear of Firing

OVERCOMING FEAR OF FIRING "It was obvious that this employee could not relate well to clients. But I could not bring myself to fire him.? and while I wavered, things only got worse for everyone in the department." Having to fire someone is one of the most difficult actions any manager or executive may have to take. It is an action that many manager's find endless excuses to avoid, as did the executive quoted above. Yet, in certain cases it is unavoidable. Firing is a managerial art that many otherwise successful supervisor's neglect to develop.

WHEN IS FIRING APPROPRIATE? Most people take pride in and care about their job responsibilities. There are some people, however, whose pride in their job is, unfortunately, unwarranted. Others, exist who don't think pride enters into it - that "a job's a job" .Still others are of the belief that they deserve a job because of their circumstances, or their longevity, not necessarily because they are working up to standard. Some people genuinely need a job, but cannot do the quality of work necessary to sustain their position. When the needs of an individual staff member come into serious conflict with the needs of the group, the manager must place higher priority on the well-being of the group. The manager must look beyond the individual needs to the survival of the organization.

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK: The best method for avoiding the negative consequences of the firing process involve laying the groundwork, with actions that should be taken long before the final decision to fire is made. All personnel working in an organization should know, from the day they are hired, what actions or behaviors on their part can result in their being fired. These policies should be in writing, and they should be given to all employees or posted in a conspicuous place. Employees have a right to know these ground rules. Once they know them, their responsibility to abide by them should not be subject to question at a termination.

Copyright AE Schwartz & Associates All rights reserved. For additional presentation materials and resources: ReadySetPresent and for a Free listing as a Trainer, Consultant, Speaker, Vendor/Organization: TrainingConsortium

CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.

---

How to get an Audiences Attention

A trainer dryly discussing how to motivate people in an... Read More

Having Your Phil

February 2nd, at approximately 7:30 a.m. local time on Gobbler's... Read More

How to Leverage Your Strengths for Peak Performance

Ask almost any business leader how to most effectively develop... Read More

Interviewing: How to Stay Out of legal Hot Water

Some interviewers ask great questions; others ask dumb questions; and,... Read More

The Dripping Faucet in Every Organization

Each day millions of workers spend 8 hours or more... Read More

Outsourcing NOT Just for Big Business

Outsourcing has become a controversial issue and a hot topic... Read More

Tales From the Corporate Frontlines: Team Dynamics and Communication

This article relates to the Team Dynamics competency, which evaluates... Read More

The DNA of Motivation

It really is about motivation. After all, what impels someone... Read More

Employee Discipline: How to Nip Problems in the Bud

Are you uncomfortable with delivering disciplinary action, even involving employees... Read More

Five Steps to Better Employee Management

Hiring employees is a huge responsibility. Before hiring anyone, be... Read More

Dont Wait for Tax Time to Look at the Bottom Line

A curious thing happens to entrepreneurs in the spring of... Read More

Business & Family Safety and Health Rating

For good reason, practically every endeavor in life is rated.... Read More

The Leaders Fallacy May Be Howard Deans Undoing

Howard Dean's tenure as chairman of the Democratic National Committee... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Human Resources at Work

This article relates to the Human Resource Functions competency, commonly... Read More

Dealing with Difficult People

You know, this would be a great business if it... Read More

Lets Flourish and Prosper!

Some say that in business as in sex: if it... Read More

Top Ten Things About Creating a Business Vision

To visualise where you are going, is deeper and more... Read More

How to Make a Difference Every Day

Every day, everyone can make the world a better place.... Read More

Five Overlooked Ways To Hire Winners

Here is a true story. My dentist did a "clinical"... Read More

Basic Management Skills

Recent studies have shown that industrial supervisors are working at... Read More

The Power of the Contract in Performance Management

An essential step in managing the performance of salespeople is... Read More

How to Hire the Right People

One of the biggest challenges any business owner or manager... Read More

Communicating Effectively In The Workplace: Four Vital Steps

Ineffective communication is a major, yet avoidable, obstacle to business... Read More

Warning! Meeting In Progress; May Be Hazardous To Your Career

There ought to be a sign posted on every closed... Read More

Your Appraisal System Can Be Better ? Overcome These Nine Serious Failings

This article is directed at senior managers. As a senior... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management ? Psychological Reward

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Try It Out On Your Team First

Wow! You're brilliant! You have a great idea. You've looked... Read More

4 Simple Steps to Successful Delegation

Last month, my featured article was about creating a "Stop... Read More

Profits and Business Success - 5 Profit Traps to Watch Out For

The old saying 'You have to spend money to make... Read More

Factoring Financing: How to Grow Your Business Without Debt or Loans

What is factoring?Accounts receivable financing, also known as factoring, is... Read More

Protect Your Organizations Proprietary Information

The other day one of our overseas clients called in... Read More

Why Saying Well Done Works

Encouraged by the recognition, Sarah Lewsiton went home from work... Read More

How to Reduce Temporary Employee Turnover

The use of temporary services to stock a farm of... Read More