This is a big one. This is an uncomfortable one. This is the one that is also the one that can un-anchor your ship and send you sailing! 

As a business owner, do you know when it’s time to let go of an employee? 

THE WARNING SIGNS

Once you can spot warning signs, you can more quickly determine what the next steps are. In the future, you’ll see these signs in their earliest stages and be able to get ahead to mitigate before letting go. 

Generally, the lesson of letting go is learned after signs are missed. This is the point of the lesson. 

Let’s identify some warning signs:

• Continued issues with workplace relations surrounding one individual
• Staff feel on edge around certain team members
• Workplace gossip
• Questions surrounding productivity and expectations
• Misalignment with company values
• Customer complaints
• Boundaries are pushed on a regular basis

These are only a few high-level symptoms of something going astray.

WHO’S TO BLAME?

Things get tricky here. On occasion, nobody is to blame. It’s simply a bad fit. Leaders struggle with this, because letting go is so much easier when there are clear indications of why, a person to blame. Unfortunately, with this, it’s hard. I don’t believe that anyone shows up to intentionally fail. When we can remember this, we can look past the “who’s to blame” cycle of this and focus on what is really happening. Generally, it’s hiring. Wrong person, wrong seat on the bus!

Another scenario reflects on the leadership. Like the first scenario, I don’t believe leaders set out on a mission to be poor leaders. This is a situation of unawareness most likely. The idea that a leader looks a certain way, instead of understanding what kind of leader they are, and building quality around that for their team. Leadership can twist things around due to miscommunication or lack of. This can cause disengagement and that can lead to toxicity or poor performance. 

LETTING GO

There’s no easy way to maneuver making hard decisions, that’s why letting go in life is hard and delayed. Some leaders will do this more readily than others. 

The good news is, once you know you need to make a move, there are easier ways to navigate the details and the outcome. 

This is simple, if you feel something is off with a staff member, chances are they also feel it. If you move in understanding and acknowledge that they are most likely as unhappy, discontent or discouraged as you…the real discussions begin. We are all people; we are all seeking alignment. It’s about the approach. When we take a true integrity approach to the act of letting go, we release stress from the other person as well, allowing those individuals and that business the space to find a more aligned path. No good. No bad. Just is.