For years, I have preached that the biggest problems advisors have with building a team is keeping someone too long who is not working out. My mantra has been, “When you start getting second thoughts, make those second thoughts first thoughts, and pull the trigger.”
In case you are unfamiliar with my preaching, I have complied and updated my Research Magazine articles on team building.
They can be not working out for several reasons. Here are a few.
- Personal issues, i.e., clash with other staff, don’t care about the job.
- Work ethic.
- Honesty.
- Can’t get the job done.
The problem of getting rid of team members should be relatively easy when confronted by a blatant offense. But if it’s not. It’s never easy.
A Tale of Woe
Here is a sad tale relayed to me. The team member in question had told someone else she didn’t care about her job. Here is how the tale unfolded.
“Boy, did I learn my lesson. I didn’t let my troublesome employee go. She was so nice, and I wanted to be nice. So, I gave her another chance. We set last Monday as a day to go over her progress. She apologized for the mistakes she had made and told me she was going to do better, and that she just hadn’t cared about her job. I was floored. I didn’t respond. I didn’t let her go. I was speechless.
“I went home and told my husband. He asked me if I had fired her on the spot. I told him I didn’t know how to respond … maybe I had misunderstood what she meant. I came in yesterday and told her I just couldn’t live with her comment about not caring … she interrupted and said, “Well, that’s where I was … I just didn’t care about my job but now I’m going to do better.”
I told her that she would have to leave, and now I am moving on. She called my receptionist today and told her she couldn’t believe I had let her go for telling the truth—and the clients would never know she didn’t care! Now, of course they knew she didn’t care! I just hope the damage isn’t irreparable.
“I just don’t think you can tell advisors enough that they need to make second thoughts, first thoughts—and to cut bait and move on!”
Another Tale