It’s hard to state the damage a bad hire will do.
I say will because you are going to make one, guaranteed.
To make matters worse, you are also going to let them stick around for too long.
The bad hire guarantee
Here’s the combination that gets you:
- Imperfection in your hiring process
The selection process is the point you know the least about what it’s like to work with someone. It’s not realistic to expect to always make the right decision.
That’s how the bad hire gets into your business.
- Your own attempts to be a good leader
Then you face these three basic human emotions that will stop you quickly fixing that error:
- You think it’s your fault (self-blame).
- You think it’s not fair to assess them yet (fairness).
- You think it will harm the team to let them go (fear).
The self-blame trap
When someone you hired isn’t working out, it’s natural to blame yourself. You’re an accountable person and you are literally accountable. You hired them.
The trick you play on yourself is: “They’re not performing because I’m not explaining what I want. I’m not giving them the right context. I’m not setting them up for success.”
Sometimes this is true. So eliminate that possibility.
Write down what success looks like in their role. Include not just the outcomes but the attitudes and behaviours you want to see. For example:
- They can facilitate client calls with confidence
- They show curiosity and ask questions
- They demonstrate ownership by following through on tasks
- They accept feedback and act on it
If you can’t write down what you need, then that’s extra-bad news because this person falls into the category that is entirely your fault; people you didn’t need to hire.
Once you’ve defined and communicated the goals, you get a second chance to assess. It’s a reset.
Of course you should have done it at the beginning. But give yourself a break. Next time, you will.
The “fairness” fallacy
We like to give people time to settle in. “They’re new. Let’s not give them too much responsibility yet.”
What’s not fair is wasting someone’s time in the wrong seat.
You can’t assess someone if you never let them do the job.
Let go of the “easing people in” approach. Put them through their paces.
You’re going to be supportive about it. You’re going to be patient. You’re going to take the time to make sure they’ve got everything they need.
Your bias for doing those things is part of the problem here.
In the first 3 weeks they need to show the qualities you need for both hard skills and soft skills.
If you don’t have client work, simulate it. Create the pressure. Let them collaborate with key team members, deliver, present, take feedback, and iterate.
Allow for the fact they’re new, but give yourself the information you need to spot whether you’ve got this one right.
The fear of rocking the boat
You’ll wonder what the rest of the team will think of you.
Now you’re going to be the sort of person that puts people out of a job. The sort of person that could be accused of prioritising money over someone’s career.
You won’t be the only one affected by a poor performer. You won’t be the only one who noticed.
Remember everything is linked. The business’s performance supports the current team and they know it.
If you hired someone for a strategy role and three months in, they still need hand-holding, haven’t presented anything solo, and your team’s superstars are picking up the slack. Then others will be thinking the same thing you are.
The response will not be, “I can’t believe you did that.”
It will be, “I can’t believe you didn’t do that sooner.”
It’s tough, but you can sleep at night
Is this all feeling a bit cut-throat?
We’re talking about someone losing their job.
But someone has to be responsible for:
- The needs of the entire team
- A high performing business
- The long-term prospects of the bad hire
This is the hard bit about being that person.
The clear mistakes are easy. Easy to spot and easy to make a decision on.
The tough ones are good people in the wrong seat. Talented people that you like but who aren’t going to do what the team needs. These are the ones that you will let stick around too long.
Ask yourself:
- Were you going to promote them?
- Were you going to give them a raise?
- Was this a good professional experience for them?
It’s the right thing to do.
Deal with this better the next time
This isn’t about bad people, most people are good if you put them in the right job.
It’s about bad hiring decisions.
These decisions are bad for a business. Being in the wrong job is bad for a person.
Someone has to deal with that. You need to be able to take this task on and have a clear conscience because you did everything you could.
Diagnose quickly
Define success before they start and put people in a situation within 2 weeks where they can show what they can do.
Act early
Once you realise what’s happening, act. No one benefits from waiting longer. You only prolong the negative impact on the rest of your team and use up more of someone’s career.
And move on
Urgh, thank god that’s over.
There is always a sense of relief, less complaints from the team and more energy to spend on positive things.
And a guilty check of your now-slightly-lower wage bill.
You’re only human.