153. Leadership and Letting Go: When is it Time to Say Goodbye?

<p>Many years ago (when my kids were a <em>lot </em>smaller), my husband Mayer and I took a trip to Niagara Falls. As usual, I had organized everything in advance, including reserving adjoining rooms for our family.</p><p>Because our kids were so young at the time, it was really important that we had that adjoining room. So, I made sure to call the hotel—both the day before <em>and</em> the day of the trip—to confirm that the rooms were available for us as planned.</p><p><br></p><p>But lo and behold, on the night we arrived at the hotel, the staff member on duty told us that there were no adjoining rooms left because we had arrived too late at night.</p><p><br></p><p>Mayer and I were livid. I had called to reserve in advance specifically because I <em>knew </em>we would be arriving late and wanted to make sure we got the rooms we needed.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Yet here we were, standing at the check-in desk, luggage in hand, being told that it was <em>our</em> fault we didn't get adjoining rooms.</p><p><br></p><p>Why? Because the hotel staff refused to take responsibility for their mistake.</p><p><br></p><p>Does any of this sound familiar?</p><p><br></p><p>Throughout your career, I'm sure you've seen plenty of instances where team members didn't take accountability, shifted the blame, or reacted poorly to feedback.</p><p><br></p><p>And sure, even the best of us have some missteps along the way.</p><p><br></p><p>But when a team member's failure to take personal responsibility becomes a pattern of behavior,&nbsp; it's a signal that it's probably time to say goodbye.</p><p><br></p><p>In this week's podcast episode, the second in my three-part series on firing, I dig deeper into personal responsibility and the other key reasons for deciding to let go of a team member.</p><p><br></p><p>Join me for a conversation about:</p><p><br></p><ul><li>The core evidence that should determine whether you fire someone</li><li>Why documentation is essential throughout the decision-making process</li><li>How to evaluate performance,