Navigating Tough Talks: A Guide to Handling Termination Communication
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No matter the industry, leaders are often afraid to be honest about why they’re firing someone. They think that by sugar-coating the truth or dancing around the issue, they’re protecting the person’s feelings.
But the reality is that being dishonest doesn’t help anyone but you. Rather than protect them, you actually protect yourself from uncomfortable feelings.
In reality, the best thing you can do for everyone involved is to communicate with transparency and kindness—no matter the context.
Back in 2011, when I was working as a camp director in NYC, I had to fire a teacher after a very unfortunate incident.
It was a sensitive time for the Jewish community in that area because a child had been tragically abducted while walking home from day camp. Understandably, everyone in the city was on especially high alert.
So, when a teacher at my camp left a child alone in the bathroom and walked to a park two blocks away, I had no choice but to terminate her immediately.
I found the child in the bathroom while doing my rounds, walked them to the park where the teacher was, and fired her on the spot.
Now, in this particular situation, there wasn’t much of a conversation, because I needed to act swiftly. But that didn’t mean that I was unkind—or that I avoided addressing the reason she was being fired.
I simply told her that her error in judgment was unacceptable—and let her go.
As a leader, you’re going to have to fire team members. In fact, never letting go of employees is a sign that you’re not cultivating a values-led culture. Because there will always be individuals on your team who simply aren’t the right fit.
But at the end of the day, the reason you’re letting them go doesn’t matter. In every case, you owe it to them, to your team, and to yourself to navigate the conversation with poise and respect.
In this week’s podcast episode, the final installment of a three-part series on firing, I provide tips on how to navigate termination communication in a way that preserves your center’s reputation and maintains the trust of remaining team members.
Join me for a conversation about:
- What a termination conversation is really about
- Why handling a termination conversation well is so important
- How to prepare for and conduct the conversation
- How to navigate the aftermath of firing a team member
Resources and links mentioned in this episode:
Difficult conversations are a big topic of conversation in our Director’s Inner Circle and Owner’s HQ membership programs. If you’re looking for support from a community of like-minded owners and directors who can help you navigate the most difficult aspects of leadership, I encourage you to apply. As a member, you’ll also gain access to tools, resources, and coaching that can help you as you work toward building a school of excellence.
If your center is dealing with the aftermath of letting a team member go, you might be a good fit for our Leadership Day Intensive. You’ll get a full day of on-demand, in-school training with me, plus months of accountability check-ins to help you and your team transform your center by building an even stronger, healthier culture.
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More about the show:
If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life.
Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.
In addition to weekly solo episodes, she’ll also be inviting industry leaders and the changing makers of the landscape of education to give listeners the inside knowledge of what it takes to sustain excellence.
Don’t miss an episode, subscribe today for everything you need for your leadership journey!
