On Firing

I want to work for a company that fires people. So do you.

Huh?!?

You heard right. Firing is not a sign of a bad workplace, and the absence of firing isn’t proof of a good one – nor, ironically, is it an assurance of job security.

I worked for 11 years in a group of 200 people. To my knowledge one firing was attempted and it didn’t stick; the employee was still there when I left. That’s zero terminations in 11 years.

How can that be a problem? Because among those 200 we had the usual complement of stars, solid performers, and deadwood. Some people should have been fired.

Still…why does it matter to you or me if they are not?

Because when failure is made impossible, failure no longer matters. And here’s the death knell: when failure doesn’t matter, success doesn’t matter.

In 11 years I never discovered one thing that mattered to my managers. Innovation, efficiency, cost savings, exemplary client service, flexibility, solving the toughest problems – none of it mattered. I was too naïve to understand my responsibility to sit a manager down and ask “What matters to you? What should I deliver that you will value most?”

You should ask the question to demonstrate your concern and ambition – but I doubt it will matter, because a culture that allows failure to flourish rarely has an answer.

When no one is ever fired and failure doesn’t really exist, success has no meaning. Nothing distinguishes mediocrity from excellence. When the day of reckoning comes everyone is equally at risk. Your contributions won’t protect you. Innovations, cost savings, project successes – they matter not at all. Pack your desk and be ready.

Firing is sad, tragic and wrenching. And essential. Because it ensures that success matters.

#Firing #JobSecurity