When working with our leadership teams, we spend a lot of time strengthening the People Component of their business. We work on the two disciplines: getting the Right People into the Right Seats on the Accountability Chart™. You must have both – Right People and Right Seats.
I have helped a number of leadership teams make the difficult people decision when they determine one of their employees is either the wrong person or in the wrong seat. Our approach to this issue is the Three Strike Rule.
The Three Strike Rule for Your Employees
By way of example, let’s say one of your employees is not the Right Person, but they are in the Right Seat. They are amazingly productive in their seat, but when you completed the People Analyzer™, you determined they did not exhibit three of your five Core Values. It is time to have a discussion with that individual.
You schedule the first of three meetings and explain exactly why the person does not fit the organization’s culture. I always recommend you provide no less than three examples of what’s not working, help the individual develop a corrective plan of action, and set a deadline for correcting the problem.
If the problem remains in place at the deadline, it is time for a second meeting and a written warning, followed by a new deadline for resolving the issue. A third meeting means it is time to terminate the employee.
Many times the individual will resign somewhere between the first and second meeting; they recognize they aren’t the right person for your company and will avoid the embarrassment of being terminated.
These are difficult decisions to make. However, you owe it to the organization, the individual, and the entire team. Your EOS® Implementer can help you plan the discussion.
More Help for Solving People Issues in Your Company
The Three Strike Rule is one of the many concepts of EOS explained in Gino Wickman’s book Traction. The book outlines The Six Key Components™ of your business, and provides you with simple yet powerful ways to gain more focus, growth and success in your company.
You can download Chapter 1 of Traction and learn more about how EOS could benefit your business. Want to see if EOS could be right for your company? Schedule a 90-Minute Meeting with an EOS Implementer to find out!
This article originally appeared on the Pure Direction blog.
