5/29/2018 0 Comments Be Slow to Hire, Quick to FireThere is really no consensus on who coined the saying, "Be slow to hire, quick to fire," but regardless of its origin, there is no shortage of opinion on the phrase. Some use it as a guiding light for their business while others view it as a severe approach to management. We are going to presume that this statement wasn't meant to be taken at face value. Very few successful managers would recommend that you take years to fill a position or fire someone as soon as they make their first mistake, but there is value in the sentiment expressed here. What if there is a way you could be slow to hire and quick to fire while truly benefitting your business and not becoming a tyrant in the office?
We think this is possible, but it requires a deeper dive into the statement itself. Be slow to hire There's No Need For Urgency Why shouldn't you just fill an open position as quickly as possible? Well, for starters, hiring isn't just about the one open position. You have an entire business and team to consider when looking to fill that spot, but there is often an urgency placed on hiring that isn't necessary. In fact, there can be benefits to being down a team member. Often times, being an employee down gives someone else an opportunity to step up or it allows the team as a whole to compensate. Some businesses even learn that they were over-staffed during this time period and never have to hire anyone. This obviously lowers the business' overhead and frees up those funds to be used elsewhere. In a 2016 study by the Society for Human Resource Management, the average fill time for an open position in the United States was 42 days. You will need to determine for yourself whether this is slow or fast, but there could be great benefit to seeing if your staff would be up to the challenge of cumulatively filling the open position or if an eager employee might step up to the challenge and earn a promotion. These are things you will never learn if you hire too quickly. Be Ridiculously Selective Think about your revenue per employee. (That is gross revenue divided by the number of employees for those of you that don't like math.) What about your team and office culture? A new employee will be responsible for a percentage of your revenue and will also have a huge impact on your existing staff and culture. That means that we simply can't be flippant about who we hire. The hiring process (specifically the interview) is an opportunity for both you and the potential employee to see each other as naturally as possible. (If you'd like additional information on the interview process, click here and check out our piece from last May!) If red flags exist on their resume, the time to ask is during the interview. If the individual is qualified for the job, but you can't picture them fitting in with your current team, then you should likely move on to the next candidate. But what if you hire and it doesn't work out? Let's examine what it means to be quick to fire. Quick to Fire Be Gracious If you run a practice long enough you will definitely have to fire someone. You may even have to fire them quickly. Regardless of the time frame, being gracious and treating the person you are letting go with dignity is of utmost importance. The people who take issue with the statement "quick to fire" presume that it isn't possible to let someone go and be respectful in the process. The truth is that you will have to fire people and you will always have the opportunity to do so in the appropriate way. It takes courage to look someone in the eye and tell them why you are firing them, but this should be common practice. Being Quick to Fire is Compassionate This statement probably raises a few eyebrows, but allow us to explain. If there is a weak link in your practice, there is no doubt that the rest of your team is suffering because of it. Your team needs to be able to trust and enjoy working with each other, but if a leader hesitates to make a change that is obviously needed, the team suffers and the leader loses credibility. An often overlooked aspect of firing is that you are doing the underperforming employee a favor by letting them go and being honest with them about the reasons why. This gives the individual an opportunity to examine themselves and see that they need to change in order to reach their full potential. There are numerous stories of successful people who turned the corner after being fired to go on and have great careers. You should consider the fact that doing what is right for your business when it comes to an employee who isn't a good fit is typically doing right by that individual as well. The most important thing to remember here is that our practices are made up of people and that people are flawed. The real opportunity for any business, however, is bringing the right group of people together that compliment each other well in order to succeed. This means that the hiring process is pivotal for success, but that firing a bad employee is necessary to protect your practice and ensure growth. As leaders, we have a responsibility both to our practices and to the individuals who trust our leadership to hire and fire well.
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