Firing with Compassion

The author, chairman of JetBlue and an adjunct professor at Stanford, has fired plenty of people during his long career—and he’s been fired himself. In this article he outlines an empathetic approach in which the manager recognizes that he or she played a role in the employee’s failure to perform—and that this difficult conversation, which should not be outsourced to the HR department, is something a manager should strive to handle well. The person you’re firing today could become a key contact at a supplier or a client tomorrow.

Peterson offers specific steps—and mistakes to avoid—to help this tricky process go as smoothly as possible:
Don’t wait for a “firing offense.”
Do be willing to fire friends or family.
Don’t surprise people.
Do prepare and practice.
Don’t hand off the dirty work.
Do deliver the message immediately and clearly.
Don’t overexplain the decision.
Do be human.
Don’t shift the blame.
Do be generous.