Option 1:
Your performance has been below par. Despite repeated feedback it hasn’t improved. Its not working out.
“You are fired!”
Option 2:
Have you hit your targets in the last 6 months?
Why do you think you haven’t?
Is there anything I could have done to help you hit those targets?
Do you think I had the same constraints for others too? And at an organizational level as well?
How do you think leaders deliver when faced with such constraints?
How long do you think you will need to become that leader?
Do you think as an organization we have that much time?
Do you realize that because of all these conditions, every month you are here I will have to act like an asshole to you?
What would you do if you were me?
“I would fire me”
They have just lost their job. They don’t need to lose their self respect too.
Nor do you need to.
A Team or an individual does not perform well.
Who do you think is responsible.
The team member(s) or the Leader.
I think the responsibility comes from top to bottom – So does lot of other things (appreciation, power, salary etc.)
You cannot always put the pressure of performance on the team.
There can be various reasons why a team is not performing.
And I think it’s the job of the manager or his leader to understand why this is happening and come up with a solution.
No doubt, firing can be one of those solutions, but you should have given ample time and taken all the circumstances and choices of that individual into perspective before you do that.
I think it’s a failure at the manager’s end also, if you are firing somebody, it also means that you were not able to motivate or lead that person (apart from all other performance reasons)
Again it’s easy said than done. However you just learn from your experiences and make sure you don’t do the same mistake again.
“A smart man makes a mistake, learns from it, and never makes that mistake again.” – from the web.
PS: Sorry dude, don’t agree with you this time :)