Enthusiastically Rehiring
For many founders, the most draining topic they deal with isn’t fundraising, pricing or product. It’s people. Specifically, the people that make up their executive team.
This usually manifests itself as a question posed to confidants or board members about a specific person: “What should I do about _____?”
Whenever I’m asked this question, I respond with, “Would you enthusiastically rehire them?” In other words, if the position was open today and this person was available – with full knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses – would you enthusiastically offer them the job?
I think enthusiastically is an important word in the question because it drives clarity. You can’t say maybe to that question. If there is any doubt, you have your answer.
Let’s assume the answer is no (it usually is). If so, there are a couple of potential paths forward.
If you think it’s fixable, have a candid conversation with the person about what needs to change. Work with them on changing it. Then ask yourself at the end of some defined time period whether you’d enthusiastically rehire them.
If it’s not fixable, let them go.
This may sound harsh, but I genuinely believe this is a good framework for companies and the team members in question. For companies, it helps ensure that they have a high-performing team (and, as a bonus, it provides a simple, scalable question for managers to ask as they build and evaluate their teams). For the team members, they get told the truth about their performance. It is not always pleasant, but remember that the alternative is to be a chronic underperformer who does not get honest feedback. I would suspect that very few people would want to be at a place where their boss would not be excited about rehiring them. I sure wouldn’t.
Like many things in business, coming up with the framework is easy. It’s the pesky consistent application that’s hard. There is always a seemingly good reason to avoid a tough conversation or keep someone even if you wouldn’t enthusiastically rehire them. They are working on an important project. It took forever to find them in the first place. You have three other searches going on right now. Someone else may leave if this person is no longer there. They are adding value in some area now – who is going to do that if they are gone?
These are all understandable concerns. And no framework applies to every situation. Perhaps yours is unique.
I will share a couple of observations though. The vast majority of the time I’ve heard someone be the subject of “What should we do about…”, it has ended with the person in question not being at the company within 12 months. And throughout my entire career, I have not once heard a founder or leader say, “I wish I had waited longer to give that person honest feedback or let them go.”
To end on a more positive note, I genuinely believe this approach can create a culture of trust and compassion while also driving performance. It can create an environment that is both highly demanding and highly supportive. And the end result of applying this is a team full of people you would rehire in a heartbeat, and who know you would do so. Then you get to go out with that team and focus on the fun parts of building your business together.