I just marched our DNA out the door. Help!

Dear Aunty,

I have a question for you. Where is the line between moving the wrong person on quickly and moving the wrong person on too quickly?

I have always prided myself on being able to make a swift decision on a poor performer and helping them make the right decision to move on. But it can also take out of the organisation the basic knowledge that gets built up over time.

I recently had to move on a guy that had been with me from the start and the reason Aunty was because he couldn’t specialise to the level I needed. But out the door went a chunk of what I call our DNA. And it can take months to recover.

In the end I wonder if I made the right decision after all!

Don,
Sydney

Dear Don,

I think you might suffer from a syndrome common to poor managers. You might be a great entrepreneur or actually you might have reached the limit of your skills. Whatever. But I think you suffer from “pick a victim” syndrome. This is quite a common style of management, which bumbles along when things are good but manifests itself when things get tough.

The entrepreneur/CEO looks around, finds a victim and sacks them, believing that they can hire someone better to fix the problem. Oh, how wonderful when the new talent comes through the door. Oh, how good they look. Oh, how high they can fly.

For months the new person is the saviour to the business, the best thing since sliced bread. But if fundamental problems have not been fixed then soon that person starts to look a bit tarnished and before you know it, the same old lines are being repeated again.

Suddenly the saviour is not such a good hire. Suddenly he or she isn’t as good as everyone thought. Suddenly they are responsible for lots of problems. And lo and behold, if that person was moved on a new person could be brought in who would be far superior and save all the problems!

And so the cycle repeats itself.

So my friend, take a good hard look at yourself. If you can point to that pattern then get some help now or step away from the business. Because that type of management not only creates a culture of resentment and fear but it strips the company of the knowledge needed to grow your client base.

And of course it has a bad impact on the people let go who feel they never really got a chance.

Be smart,
Your Aunty B

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