I recently had to terminate a fairly new hire with whom I developed some trust, respect and fondness for. But there was a circumstance that arose where she was no longer able to continue working at our company. So my human resources department sent me a list of steps around very clear communication to pass on to this employee, which included having someone in the room with me during the termination discussion and making it as sterile as possible.
Knowing an inauthentic conversation was about to unfold, I gave her a heads up on what the meeting was about and that others would attend as part of a standard operating procedure. But I also checked in to make sure she was okay. That allowed me to infuse humanity into the conversation. It made me realize that corporate America is full of sterility and inauthenticity, which is something I despise. And so I started to think about the importance of bringing humanity into leadership. Leaders always should put their people before processes or policies.
You don’t want rules bludgeoning your people from doing their work effectively. I understand the legal ramifications and risks involved in terminations, but formality can block yourself off from the rest of the team. Spending too much time enforcing policies can make employees feel like there’s something wrong, which doesn’t fit the new collaborative business environment. There’s humanity in being able to understand and engage with people, as well as create a workplace that allows for mistakes and vulnerability. When there’s humanity, people will be more willing to express themselves, have authentic conversations, be creative and productive.
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