Member-only story
I bumped into a former colleague recently and he thanked me for firing him.
This colleague reported to me years ago and was well known to be a “problem child” in the organization. He was always making mistakes in his work and had a poor work attitude.
After observing him for a while and getting to know him, I realized that his heart was simply not in the job.
One day, I sat him down and told him flatly that he should resign. I told him he didn’t believe in the organization’s mission and vision and, if he stayed on, he would be even more unhappy. I suggested that it would be better for him to leave and find a job doing something he believed in.
Not long after, he took my advice and left the organization. Today, he is a highly successful business owner.
As we chatted that day, he shared that he is grateful for my extreme honesty those many years ago. He said none of his previous supervisors bothered to see him as a person to be helped. Instead, they each focused on getting him to change his behavior so that he would fit better into the organization. Not one ever considered if indeed the organization was the right fit for him. He went on to say that he attributes my harsh suggestion for him to leave as the turning point in his life that set him on the path to success.
As leaders, it is always easy to deliver good news. But, if we truly care for those who report to us, we also need to deliver the bad. In the end, I believe that whether the news is good or bad, depends on the intent behind it.
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Leadership is an important skill-set for senior PMETs. The ability to lead a team is especially important as we move up the career leader.
