Terminating Someone Without Devaluing Them

Recently we made the difficult choice to terminate a team member because she wasn’t producing sufficient results. The measures were clear, but the decision wasn’t.

She is a person of integrity, professionalism, courage, compassion…and I could go on. We wanted to keep her on for her intrinsic value, but the numbers weren’t working out. For her to remain a team member would send a message that winning doesn’t matter.

Last week I posed a question: What is it that you value in yourself and others—what you do or who you are?

That simple question inevitably leads to others, though.

Because while it sounds nice to appreciate someone for their intrinsic value rather than their productive value, how do you value people for who they are more than what they do when their work is being measured by quality, productivity and efficiency?

What if they aren’t producing sufficient outcomes in their role?

For us, the question ultimately became, how do we end a relationship based on this person’s performance while continuing to value her based on her?

Here is a checklist we use when someone’s not performing up to par:

1. Constantly communicate. Before and during performance breakdowns, everyone should know what’s expected, how good performance is demonstrated, how actual performance is being perceived and what steps will be taken to address performance issues. This also allows you to create an opportunity to state very clearly that people are valued for who they are not just what they do.
2. Affirm the importance of high performance. Insufficient performance matters to the leader, the team, the individual and the entity in which everyone operates. Discussing why it matters makes performance about the outcomes not the performer.
3. Provide as many resources as possible. Training, coaching, support systems and assistance demonstrate our commitment to individual as well as overall success.
4. Express genuine and personal appreciation. People need to remember who they are and be reminded that their personal value is not defined by their performance. Great leaders remind people of this all the time.
5. Review decisions with the network. No one operates alone. Behind every team member is a support system that has been encouraging and advising along the way. By connecting with members of this network, you can make them collaborators in whatever needs to be done to remedy performance.
6. Take personal responsibility. Leaders need to own their part in the performance breakdown—those who don’t take responsibility lack awareness of their influence over those they lead. And doing so makes it clear the failure isn’t an issue of intrinsic, personal value.
7. Continue to give even after you stop getting. Nurturing a relationship after a separation demonstrates that the person is more than their performance. Whenever it’s appropriate, show you value them for who they are. For example, be a reference, write a recommendation or invite the person to events.
8. Put discomfort on the agenda. It was tempting to avoid writing this post because it’s uncomfortable, but sometimes looking directly at the discomfort can help neutralize it.

How do you make people feel valuable even when their performance isn’t? As in rugby or football, it’s best to tackle the ball, not the player.

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