<aside> ℹ️ Saying goodbye is tough, but it is a normal process that happens in all organisations and one that can work out for all parties involved
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Saying goodbye to people is an important part of keeping your team on the right track. The most common situation will be when you think someone is no longer a good match with Human for whatever reason. This doesn't happen overnight, so try to spot situations where this is happening.
To make things clear: HR and James will help you with this, but we want this to be on your agenda. HR will take care of the process and paperwork. James will help with the tough conversations. The most important work happens months before this process even starts and that's where you come in.
Why? You actually work with your people and see how they are really doing. You have 1-on-1's, off-sites, projects and feedback sessions together. All the information flows to you as a lead so you will know more about the situation than we will.
Here are some examples which might steer your thoughts, we understand life is always more complex than this: - Someone is underperforming. Give actionable feedback and try to come up with concrete points to work on in his/her personal goals. Don't wait for the feedback cycle, the best time is right now - Someone stopped growing or learning. This isn't necessarily an immediate problem, but it can be because most people like working at Human because they grow and learn so much. Someone standing still for a year is a red flag - Someone's role is no longer a match. Roles, jobs and their demands change. They aren't static. Pay attention to changing roles and put effort into telling your people what changed instead of implicitly expecting people to understand what changed. A changing role can be a reason for someone to no longer be the perfect match. Tell someone what we expect from them, make it clear. Work together to match those new demands but be honest if it doesn't work
This also works the other way around: some roles don't change, but people do
- Someone wants to **grow in a different direction**. Human is still a small company so we can't just offer every possible career path. Use 1-on-1's to talk about someone's ambition and career path. Be honest and realistic about the possibilities at Human.
Think about whether you think someone would be a good fit for that role and tell them what would be needed to get to that point (in terms of skills, expertise, personality, experience). The next question is whether Human has a role like that vacant. Be realistic and open about this
- Someone **believes in a different direction for the company or the team**. Everybody is really invested on an abstract level. We get out of bed every morning because we believe in what we are doing. That belief might shift and that is okay, as long as we talk about it. If you notice someone losing belief and probably disagreeing with everything that happens, that is a red flag.
- **Time is up.** Sometimes it's this simple. Humans grow, evolve, change. People have the tendency to go for what they know. We believe it's very healthy to move on after a while, before the milk turns sour.