I was stressed. Possibly the most stressed I’ve ever been. It was early in 2009 and I’d barely slept for two weeks. I was stressed because I had someone in our team that had to leave. The time had come and it wasn’t specifically for poor performance. She had contributed to our growth and given her best. But she did have to go. The Physio Co’s future depended on it. One of the reasons: she didn’t live the positive, values-based culture we were determined to create.
I remember the time so clearly. I remember the sleepless nights. I remember the horrible headaches. I remember the Friday night when I had such a headache and was feeling so sick that KW had to drive us to our Sandy Point getaway. I could barely think and certainly couldn’t focus on driving. I had never removed someone from a team before. I didn’t know how to do it so I’d been putting it off. But, that very weekend, when I was sick to the stomach I decided that it had to happen on Monday morning.
Monday morning came. I got to work early, rehearsed the short and direct conversation I was about to have and made sure we weren’t going to be interrupted. And then I got the phone call. She wasn’t coming in. She was sick. I couldn’t have the conversation I’d prepared so carefully for. I was going to have to live through this for another 24 hours. My lingering headache just hit a new high.
The next morning, I again got to work early and prepared. And when she did arrive, she was dripping wet from a huge Melbourne downpour. Again, I could’ve delayed the conversation. But I was committed. I gathered the courage and delivered the news. I managed to control my own tears as they flowed from across the desk. I waited patiently as she cleared her desk and collected her things. We said our farewells. And then there was silence.
Lesson learned..
As a 29 year-old inexperienced entrepreneur at the time, removing that person was one of the most difficult things I’d ever dealt with. It was also one of the most courageous. Since 2009, The Physio Co has grown from a team of about 20 to more than 50 and has four times been listed as one of Australia’s 50 Best Places to Work. That growth has only been possible from our obsession with only having people that effortlessly live our core values in the team.
The lesson I learned from that painful situation in 2009 is the importance of courageous communication. Building a values-based culture requires an obsession with getting the right people on the bus and into the right seats. The lesser known part of creating a strong culture is the courage required to get the wrong people off the bus.
Having the courage to face the facts and initiate challenging conversations every single day is one of the keys to building a strong culture. If someone isn’t living the values, they have to know about it. It’s the only way.
Since 2009, I have had countless tough conversations and I have had other people leave along the way. But it’s never been as tough as that very first time.
Great blog post Tristan!
I think culture is very important across all Industries, but even more so in the Health Industry! Negative people in any Industry are a nightmare to deal with, however in Health where your Customers are essentially sick and frail people, you and your staff need to be upbeat and positive.
I remember whilst working as a Manager in Intensive Care I had to remove two people during my time and I can totally understand what you went through, as this is a decision you don’t take lightly!
Regards Patrik Hutzel
My heart started racing as soon as I realised what this blog was about, having remembered the times I have had to do this. The sleepless nights, headaches and then the silence and that feeling of being the worst person in the world. Hope I never have to do it ever again……. Thanks for sharing Tristan.
Hi Tristan
I love reading your blogs and admire your undying enthusiasm for promoting the right culture in your business, which I am trying to emulate in my own.
I felt compelled to respond this time (and maybe because of space restrictions you didn’t include these details), but I have a concern about the process of ‘letting go’ of this particular individual. Don’t get me wrong I am a big advocate of moving on people from businesses that are poor performers or not a cultural fit but to protect your business this needs to be done correctly and due processes followed. I am also a big fan of having the ‘difficult conversations’ sooner, which most people struggle with, to avoid getting to this more difficult outcome.
If you would like to discuss this, or you ever need Employee Relations advice, please do give me a shout.
Natasha
Patrik & Amanda – thanks for your comments. Freeing up someone’s future is never fun and usually leaves everyone with a hollow feeling for a while. But, if it’s the right thing to do, it’s done legally and respectfully, well, sometimes, for the future of our organisations, we just have to do it. That’s why we’re leaders. Thanks again for your comments guys.
Natasha – as always, thanks for your thoughts. You guessed right, limited space = limited detail. The process was legal and respectful. Just really freaking difficult. Thanks for your offer too :)
Hi Tristan, thanks for sharing another great blog post!
I first removed a staff member 3 months after I went into a new business as a store manager. Removing an employee who was only 3 years younger than me was not an easy thing to do. It was definitely the hardest, but nowdays that incident has reminded me that I need to hire the right staff who shares my core values, or I won’t be a happy person when I’m at work.
Hi Tristan,
Thanks for your blog. Just wondering if you communicated your reasons to this person before letting them go? Seems like you could have saved yourself a lot of anxiety and stress if you had had the conversation to start with that they weren’t fitting in with your “culture” of the business. You obviously saw something in them when you first hired them and maybe they just needed to be shown the positive attitude you seek in your business first hand. From time to time staff do loose their positive attitude, but if they know what they are doing and hitting targets then its obviously not a lack of skill at the job but rather says more about the environment they work in. Sounds like it all worked out for the best though as clearly you’re happy about your decision to let them go and that person to now be nominated for telstra business women of the year 2012. Clearly the push that they needed in the right direction.