Kevin O’Leary says firing someone is the most difficult aspect of leadership. Luckily, the “Shark Tank” star and multi-millionaire has some suggestions on how to shoot effectively.
In social media clip posted on Instagram on Thursday, O’Leary shared how he feels about firing someone and how he deals with it. The clip looks like a repost O’Leary’s remarks at iCONIC: Seattle in April 2016
First, O’Leary said that the moment you fire someone is when you realize they are not right for the job. Delaying the shooting is unfair to them.
“It’s not about you,” O’Leary said. “It’s unfair to them, the people they work with and the team they are a part of.”
When a shooting occurs, the most significant element is explaining why it is happening to the person.
“I do it myself,” O’Leary said. “That’s the hardest thing.”
This part is obligatory, though, O’Leary explained, because otherwise the person won’t learn anything from it.
When an employment relationship is terminated, O’Leary makes sure the affected worker receives a “fantastic package”, counseling and every part he needs to find one other job – so long as it isn’t with his company.
Despite the mixed emotions surrounding an worker’s departure, O’Leary says firing is an essential a part of leadership. If you possibly can’t make cuts to your team, “you’re a bad leader” for the organization, he said in the video.
O’Leary was also fired once. As a teenager, he worked at a mall picking ice cream. He refused to scrape the gum off the floor, claiming it was not a part of his job description, and was fired for it.
O’Leary considers this moment the starting of his entrepreneurial journey – on that day he swore he would never work for anyone else.
“This was the beginning of my journey,” said w interview which aired in 2013.