In the previous two chapters, we addressed the reality that, even among high-performing teams, turnover is sometimes unavoidable. Top performers resign. Despite everyone's best efforts, some people will never perform at an acceptable level, and it becomes necessary to let them go. Life is messy. Sometimes, circumstances justify letting someone go, and firing someone might be the most obvious response, but it is not always the best course of action. How do you manage to make a difference in those kinds of situations? Here is a story to illustrate:

Decisions have consequences. Not firing James did in fact create some risks associated with consistency of discipline. Also, many people felt that he needed to be held accountable. They disagreed quite vigorously with the decision to retain him, and many readers may disagree as well. On the other hand, the hotel retained a very valuable employee. James became even more loyal to the hotel and to me as his manager. All the hotel's employees got a clear demonstration of how they would be treated in a similar situation. They also got a message about loyalty. They knew that, as their manager, I had their backs.

I have several of these stories. One of them is about when my former boss, Phil Lombardi, refused to accept my resignation for a major mistake that wasted a lot of money, and caused him serious loss of face. That may be why I take this point of view. I learned and grew from that experience.

Sometimes, firing someone for egregiously poor judgment is the right thing to do. But too often a manager fires someone because it is the easy way out. The extreme version of this is called “scapegoating.”

Do any of us think we go through life without occasionally exercising poor judgment, and sometimes very poor judgment? Some of these occasions present opportunities for learning and growth. As a manager, be on the lookout for those kinds of opportunities.