Know When to Hold ‘Em; Know When to Fold ‘Em

I wish I would have written this, but I must give credit to our VP of HR. It is spot on. Enjoy.

Know When to Hold ‘Em; Know When to Fold ‘Em
As a leader, if you find yourself complaining about your associates, you should consider whether you are doing something wrong — or not doing something right. You might not have figured out how to find or keep good people, or you may have kept the wrong people, or you may have unrealistic expectations. I have made every mistake.
I believe that if you want to run a great operation, you should be happy with 100 percent of your people. It is better for your customers, it is better for your associates and it is better for you. There are many good, honest, hard-working people out there who are looking for jobs. If you keep someone who isn’t good, honest and hard-working, it’s not just your problem, it’s your fault. You’ve probably heard the old cliché, “you are only as strong as your weakest link.” It’s not just a cliché – it’s true. Take a good hard look at your staff. Do you have weak links? Why? Why aren’t you doing anything about it?
Being nice to everyone does not make you a good boss. It could, in fact, make you a bad boss. The purpose of business is to get the job done for the customer, to provide a respectful work environment, and to make a profit. [We are calling 2010] “the year of accountability.” It is the only way we will be able to achieve what we have set out to achieve for the year – having the right people, in the right places, doing the right things. Accountability often means making tough decisions to insure you have the best possible associates on your team.
If you want to run a great operation, you have to know when to quit, or in this case when to fire. Is it fun to fire? No. Does it make your life easier and provide a better product or service to your customers? Yes. Does it make for a better environment for your other associates? Yes. Does it make you a better boss, if you define better as being effective? Yes.

- Julie Silbar
><(("> Guest Blogger