An essay by John Melonakos
Thoughts on Firing Fast
The worst job in the world is having to let someone go. It’s never fun. It’s hard in the moment. It’s hard in reflection. It’s hard in anticipation of the arduous work required to find someone else.
However, as I’ve written before, it’s vital to fire fast.
The WSJ posted an article recently on the nature of startups to fire fast. The article basically boils down to this:
- Startups: Need people who can execute. When people fail to execute, startups do not hesitate to fire. There is little margin for error and little forgiveness.
- BigCos: “Big companies, wary of wrongful-termination suits, tend to be slower to fire.” and “Employees who jump from the corporate world often don’t move fast enough to suit startup founders, and then are surprised at how quickly they are fired.”
My thoughts are that startups need to be as particular and careful as possible during the hiring phase to ensure compatibility. Minimize the burden of firing. Yet, when it is time to fire, do not hesitate to pull the trigger.
What are your thoughts on firing fast?