JWI 520 Strayer University Layoff or Involuntarily Separated from An Organization Paper Have you ever been involved in a layoff or involuntarily separated

JWI 520 Strayer University Layoff or Involuntarily Separated from An Organization Paper Have you ever been involved in a layoff or involuntarily separated from an organization, either as a manager or as an employee, or do you know someone who has had this experience? How was it handled? How could it have been managed better?

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MARCH 03, 2017
ARTICLE
FIRING
When You Have to Fire
Good People
by Max Altschuler
This document is authorized for use only by Eric smith in People Management at Strayer University, 2020.
FIRING
When You Have to Fire
Good People
by Max Altschuler
MARCH 03, 2017
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.
COPYRIGHT © 2017 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
This document is authorized for use only by Eric smith in People Management at Strayer University, 2020.
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A while back, I fired a content manager. She had previously worked in sales, but was also a good
writer and wanted to try managing content for one of my businesses. I figured that having a good
writer who knows sales could mean the best of both worlds for this position. But it didn’t work out. I
needed to let her go and hire a replacement who knew a lot more about developing content.
Just ushering her out the door never even occurred to me. The idea made no sense. She had
relationships with about 30 people outside the company who were providing content for us. They
were crucial to our business. If she had left abruptly, it would have damaged those relationships. I
wanted her to stay for a transition period. It would be better for her, too. It would give her time to
look for the right job.
So we had the difficult conversation. I explained that it wasn’t working out, why it wasn’t “the right
fit,” and that I’d have to let her go. And I asked: “What are your goals? Where would you like to go in
your career?”
“I should probably get back into sales,” she told me. “That’s really where I want to be.”
At that point, I didn’t have any open positions that would fit. But I had gone into this meeting
knowing several other possibilities that might work well for her. (In startups, you’re constantly
networking — business leaders are always asking each other if they know of any candidates for
certain positions.) So I told her about one job that I thought was a good lead. I got in touch with
executives at that firm, made the introduction, and told them honestly that for the position they
were looking to fill, she would make an excellent candidate.
She’s now been there two years, and she loves it.
This sort of thing happens often in Silicon Valley, as companies keep evolving and far-reaching
networks open up unexpected opportunities. Sure, there are types of firings in which you’re not
going to help the person — if they did something terrible or can’t be trusted, for example. But those
conversations are less difficult.
When parting with talented people who tried to make it work but couldn’t, like the content manager,
I bring three things from my sales tool kit 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.
COPYRIGHT © 2017 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
This document is authorized for use only by Eric smith in People Management at Strayer University, 2020.
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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
stepping stone. That attracts top-notch applicants. Look at the “PayPal Mafia” — that’s the ultimate
example.
The former content manager is just one of 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.
Max Altschuler is the founder and CEO of Sales Hacker.
COPYRIGHT © 2017 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
This document is authorized for use only by Eric smith in People Management at Strayer University, 2020.
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