Today, a soon to be positional leader, got one of my most deeply held beliefs regarding the privilege and responsibility of leading a team in the world of work. Here it is. Do not miss this. This is HUGE.
Normal leaders are quick to hire and slow to fire. They think that they’ve got to fill the open headcount and get after it. They hurry up and hire. And, they believe that a “warm body” is better than no body. So, they hold on to under-performers and hope that somehow they will turn it around. The longer they hold this belief the less likely they are to ever pull the trigger. Remember, once we acquire them, we overvalue assets and associates alike. We all suffer from “loss aversion.” We just do.
The BTL formula, as you might expect, is a bit different than this convention thinking. It just is.
Slow to hire AND quick to fire, is the one you want.
Take your time bringing on any new associate. Take a long time. Hire for attitude and train for skill. Your team deserves a great attitude coming alongside. They are measuring you mostly on your ability to find the new associate that is the “right fit.” Take your time.
When your hiring home run turns into a clear strikeout, do not wait until they strike out again and again to make a change. Follow the BTL formula for returning them toward high performance and when it’s clear they aren’t doing their part, don’t want to work hard enough, or simply can’t close the gap, do not wait.
Cut them loose. Your team is counting on you being decisive and not running your company out of “loss aversion.” Cut your losses and write what you learned from your mistake. This will hurt. Hiring the right kinda folks is REAL, HARD, WORK.
Slow to hire AND quick to fire may be counterintuitive, but it’s the ONE you want.
Easy street, remember, is a couple blocks over and the traffic between here and there is nearly impossible…
BUILT TO LEAD 
Took me way too long to learn this lesson….