Six months ago, I fired a person for the first time. I want to reflect on how it was. What I have done right and wrong.

Dismissal is a win-win. No one wants to give up a good life, but if you are unhappy with each other, then stopping working together is a great way to change your life and the life of the company for the better.

You can fire quickly — as soon as the first problems arise, you can wait until the fuckup. I think it depends on the situation: sometimes a weak person can seriously harm the project, so it’s better to say goodbye as soon as possible. And sometimes you can give a second chance and help grow, what will ultimately lead to benefits.

In my case, I was shuffling. From time to time, the designer and I discussed the problem, something improved a little, but sluggishly. One day I realized that it was more harm than good and made a decision. My mistake was that before that I had never told him directly that if he did not change, we would have to leave. So he was shocked, the process was tense and our relations were harmed.

What have I done right? I was prepared: formulated the reason, remembered specific cases. I started the meeting with something like: «we need to part with you, let’s think about how to make it as comfortable as possible». I also admitted that this was the first time for me and apologized for being worried — after which, by the way, the excitement greatly decreased.

Peace.