Let’s Get Real About Leading People: Fire Toxic Employees

Key Takeaways:

• Some people refuse to change their behavior because they believe it makes others respect them
• You as a people leader have an obligation to your team to remove toxic people, regardless if they realize they are toxic
• Don’t allow toxic people to run your team because they will

Sometimes being positive doesn’t work. Creating an environment where people thrive doesn’t work. Providing mental health days doesn’t work. Communicating doesn’t work. Providing individual coaching doesn’t work. Listening doesn’t work. For one reason or another, no matter how hard you try to deploy all the methods on “how to be a great leader” that you’ve read about, heard about, and studied, sometimes it just doesn’t work. Nothing is more heartbreaking than feeling like you failed someone because you couldn’t figure out the method of leadership that would help them thrive and be the best version of themselves.

Most mainstream “leadership” experts will tell you, that you should’ve been able to turn them around. If you had just done x, y, and z, they would have gotten back on track, you gave up on them too quickly, you let your ego get in the way, you should have coached them more, and you should have allowed them to leave on their terms. The truth is that people aren’t programmable; you can’t just plug in an equation and they will operate as expected.  People are emotional beings, they do things that make them feel good and sometimes what makes them feel good is bad for everyone else.

I don’t care how long someone has been at an organization, if they choose to be toxic, negative, insubordinate, and cause havoc for your team, clients, and others in various areas of the organization, you have an obligation as a leader of people to GET RID OF THEM! I’m not saying don’t allow them to correct themselves; do the right thing and create the space for it. However, if they continue to behave and act in a manner that causes stress and frustration to others it is time to let them find another job that better suits their behavior.

You will find that there may be some blowback from those who were “loyal” to that team member, but eventually, they will either decide to leave themselves or realize that the environment is better and embrace it.

Whatever you do, do not allow a toxic employee to run your team. Your team will never thrive. They will never grow. They will only do what they feel is enough and not a bit more.