by Beth | Aug 24, 2022 | Company Culture, Firing Employees
This past week, I followed up with the client who fired the cultural terrorist, and I asked him how things were going.
He sighed. Then he said, “We have lots of issues. For example, now we have to complete all the projects that she sold. We are interacting with her clients and having to explain it without explaining it. Then we still have some of her supporters on staff, and the gossip is rampant. The clean-up work is so much. It is like a festering fart. The smell just lingers.”
He is so right. If you have ever experienced firing a really bad employee, you know exactly how he feels. I suggested to him to get his team together, and talk to them. Remember that after a situation like this, employees are asking themselves two questions:
1) What took you so long? Employees generally identify a cultural terrorist LONG before management does, because the terrorist will kiss up to leadership while crapping on those below and beside them.
2) Is my job at risk too? After someone is fired, it rattles every employee to the core, whether that person deserved to be fired or not.
Address these two questions like this: “It was time for us to part ways, and no one else is at risk of losing their job. I also need you all to help me get back on track for our year-end goals.” Put a stop to the gossip and re-focus your team to the objectives. Then, do something fun as a group during work hours for team building. And, if the terrorist’s supporters can’t get onboard, they may have to go also.
Finally, hang tight, and have faith. The smell will dissipate eventually.
POWER THOUGHT: Your office will smell after firing a cultural terrorist, but that festering fart will dissipate over time.
by Beth | Aug 10, 2022 | Company Culture
“I hired a Cultural Terrorist,” my client announced to me last week.
“A cultural terrorist?” I repeated.
“Yes,” my client lamented. “She was our top salesperson by a lot of money, but we simply couldn’t keep her anymore. She made everyone’s life here miserable, including mine. I lost a few key performers over her. So finally, I fired her. “
“What happened next?” I asked, wide-eyed.
“You wouldn’t believe it! First of all, just the energy around here is lighter. People laugh more. There is more talking in the bullpen. But also, the second layer of salespeople have totally stepped up and in the 6 weeks since I fired her, the next four salespeople have almost made up the difference,” she said. “It’s as if everyone knew what a trainwreck she was, and the awful stories that I am hearing about her… well, it was the right thing to do, and I should have done it months ago.”
Like my client, when you hire an employee like this, it has a few effects. They only care about themselves. They use up resources. They are nasty to other employees. This is called a cultural terrorist. That ONE employee can ruin your business, your reputation with your clients, and your ability to keep your people working for you. They aren’t worth the money that they make for you, and it is time to let them go.
POWER THOUGHT: Don’t sacrifice the whole staff for ONE cultural terrorist. Cut bait and move on.
by Beth | May 18, 2022 | Company Culture
As many of you know, my daughter, Katy has had several surgeries over the last 12 years, and as a kid, she never learned to do a cartwheel…until last week.
Katy is a junior at the University of Miami and is right in the middle of finals. When she simply couldn’t study ONE MORE MINUTE, she and her friends went running through the park to get their Wheaties out. One of her friends executed a perfect cartwheel and encouraged Katy to try. She was nervous, but she tried. And succeeded! She was so excited!
Doing things that we have never done before is vital to our growth and longevity. It also boosts our confidence, which begets doing other things we have never done before. Then we have better creativity, better innovation, and more efficient progress. In addition, it creates a bond to your employee that is unlike any other.
If you want to retain your people, to elevate culture, encourage your employees to learn something new. Brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand, drive to work a different way, or attend a conference.
Soon enough, you and your whole team will be turning cartwheels!
by Beth | Apr 6, 2022 | Company Culture, Employee Hiring, Employee Retention
As most of you know, my daughter, Katy, is a nursing major at the University of Miami. Now that she is finishing her junior year, she started applying for internships, and in the second week of January, she got hired at a rehab center, which is a coveted place to work.
Katy is fluent in Spanish, she has a 3.93 grade point average and her Clinical Instructor told her that she would be a great nurse one day. As her mother, I think that she is a very qualified candidate. 😊
Katy’s training for her new role took 7 weeks to get scheduled. When she showed up on her first day at 8 AM as instructed, she waited in the lobby for an hour and a half for the hiring manager to show up. She finally decided to find the floor where she would be working and spent the rest of her shift taking vitals for patients on the floor. She spent almost the whole shift speaking Spanish to patients.
From a recruiting standpoint, I am completely appalled. She is the best of the brightest, and to be treated this way before she even started?
And companies wonder why they can’t keep people…
POWER THOUGHT: If you want to keep your employees, start valuing them on day one.
by Beth | Mar 23, 2022 | Company Culture, Employee Hiring, Employee Retention
Imagine that you are starting your new job today. You have your new outfit, your new backpack, and your lunchbox. You are so excited but also a bit nervous. You can’t wait to get started! This is the dream job that you have wanted for a long time! You arrive 5 minutes early, open the door and walk up to the reception desk.
Scenario 1: There is no one to greet you. You sit for 30 minutes before someone comes out and says, “No one knew you were coming today!” You are placed in your office to fill out paperwork, and see no one else for hours. Then you are told that you will meet your hiring manager next week, because they are on vacation and oh by the way, your computer won’t arrive for 2 weeks.
Or
Scenario 2: You arrive 5 minutes early and the receptionist says, “We are so excited that you are here!” Your new boss greets you enthusiastically and shows you your office with a balloon tied to your chair and a welcome sign on your door. Your computer sits on your desk gleaming, and you are handed your itinerary for the week. You put your things down, and your boss invites you into a conference room where they have a breakfast to introduce you to your team. The whole team rallies around you, and you feel touched, moved and inspired.
Who will stay in their job longer?
Here is the secret to retention: it starts from minute 1. If you want your employees to stay and be productive, you must set the stage for them to be successful from the very beginning. Most people naively believe that retention starts in the end with stay interviews, exit interviews and going away parties. But retaining your employees is an ongoing effort from hiring the right person for the role, training them fully and completely, and incorporating them into the department as fast as possible.
POWER THOUGHT: Want your people to stay? Value them before they even start.
A big shout out to Cassy Nicholl for the topic!
by Beth | Mar 9, 2022 | Company Culture, Employee Hiring
Over the course of 3 years, our family rescued 37 animals, fostered them and got them adopted into great homes. One of my all-time favorites was a lab mix named Angel. And she was an angel! She was so sweet and loving, and she stayed right with you, no matter where you went.
We lived near a park, but in order to get there, we had to cross a very busy street. I always put a leash on Angel before walking over there, just to be safe. And frankly, it pissed her off. She would look up at me like “Dude. I got this. Why the hell are you putting a leash on me?”
Last week, a friend of mine quit her long-time job as a fundraiser for a high-powered non-profit. She ran the department that raised 8 million dollars in 2021. She quit, because the Executive Director insisted that my friend show up at 8 am and stay until 5. After working there for 9 1/2 years, my friend was justifiably insulted. She gave a 6 month notice to see if things would change. They didn’t, so she left.
I have heard story after story of details, just like this one. When you as the leader put leashes on employees who have consistently proven themselves, they will start looking for another job. Then, you lose a great employee, and you have to start over with someone new. What good does this do for anyone? My advice? Hire a lab that walks themselves, step back, and let them shine!
Power thought: Leashes work during training. They do not work for long-term, high-performing and trustworthy employees.
