Should I fire before the holidays?

A client asked me this a couple of weeks ago. She knew it was time to let go of one of her team members, but Christmas was days away.

Here's the thing most leaders get wrong: They either fire impulsively and deal with the fallout, or avoid it entirely and let the problem fester. Both cost you time, money, and team trust.

Before you decide when, get clear on is firing this person the right move? Figure out what's actually broken.

Skill, Will, or Personality?
Skill can be trainable. If you and the employee both have the time and desire to invest.
Will is about motivation. Maybe fixable, maybe not. If you don't believe it can turn around, it won't.
Personality isn't fixable. Don't try to change who someone is.

⚠️ warning: If you agree to train someone but won't actually give them the support they need because you're too busy, your good intentions will blow up in your face. Be honest with yourself. Not hopeful. Honest.

The surprise test

Ask yourself three questions:

1. Does this person know they're underperforming?
2. Have I told them exactly what needs to change?
3. If I fire them tomorrow, will they be surprised?

If they'll be surprised, that's on you, not them.

So did we fire or not?

In this case we chose to fire after the holidays.
Why? The business impact of two extra weeks of salary was minimal. Client risk was low. Her manager would keep close watch.

But the real reasons were about integrity:
The message to the team if you fire someone right before Christmas? Brutal.
My client didn't want to be the kind of leader who does that when it's not a must.

She also scheduled a 1:1 with the high performer who had originally referred the person being let go.

The takeaway

You will have to let people go. There's no way around it.
The question isn't whether you have the guts to fire someone. That's part of your responsibility.
Do you have the discipline and integrity to do it well?