How to Fire Fast Without Being Cruel
Every founder waits too long. The kindest thing for the team, the company, and the person is usually the fast goodbye.
#management
If you've already had the conversation twice and nothing changed, you have your answer. The clock runs from the moment you first knew.
The cost of waiting
- Top performers see who is tolerated and start to leave.
- The work the underperformer should be doing falls on others quietly.
- Their next employer would have hired them faster , you delayed their next chapter.
- You burn cash, attention, and your own credibility as a leader.
How to do it right
- Be direct, brief, and final. No 30-day plan dressed up as a chance.
- Generous severance whenever possible , pay for goodwill, not silence.
- Tell the team the same day with respect for the person.
- Never blindside , the conversation should not be a surprise.
Hiring is a hypothesis. Firing is updating on data. Founders who can't update will be out-executed by founders who can.