0:32

I was on a group call

0:32

earlier this morning and one of

0:38

the people on the call mentioned

0:38

that it was probably time that

0:40

he let his General Manager Go.

0:40

And it's like, wow, that is a

0:45

big one. And today, we're gonna

0:45

dive deep into a sensitive yet

0:49

inevitable part of business

0:49

growth. And it's letting go of

0:53

key team members who no longer

0:53

fit, right. Haven't been through

0:57

this myself a couple of times,

0:57

well, many times really, in my

1:01

30 years, as a business owner, I

1:01

know that there's light at the

1:05

end of the tunnel. But when

1:05

you're at the beginning, the

1:07

front end of that tunnel, it can cause a lot of sleepless

1:10

nights procrastination around

1:13

this decision stagnation of your

1:13

business. It can cause stress in

1:19

your team, not only for the

1:19

person involved, but for

1:22

everyone else as well. It's a

1:22

topic that so many business

1:25

leaders shy away from, but as

1:25

leaders, we need to face it head

1:29

on. It's not just about making

1:29

the tough decision. It's really

1:32

about understanding the

1:32

importance of alignment in our

1:35

team as our business evolves. So

1:35

what's the problem we're facing

1:39

here? It's that mis alignment,

1:39

right? as our business grows,

1:43

changes, and adapts. And

1:43

sometimes what's worked before

1:47

doesn't work. Now, in fact, that

1:47

is often the case. It can be in

1:51

terms of capability, maybe

1:51

capacity or mindset, or growth

1:55

trajectories, it doesn't really

1:55

matter. But the key person who

1:58

was once the perfect fit, might

1:58

now be out of sync with where

2:02

your business is headed in the

2:02

future. And the fact of the

2:05

matter is, they probably know

2:05

it, too, they probably feel it.

2:10

And maybe they just don't align

2:10

with your current promise. And

2:13

if we overlay the five p models

2:13

that we talked about so often

2:16

here on the business, how to

2:16

break through your promise

2:19

aligning with your product,

2:19

process, and people so that we

2:23

have the right amount of profit,

2:23

there are usually a few things

2:26

out of alignment here with these

2:26

people. And in this person's

2:29

case, the person didn't want to

2:29

move ahead with some of the

2:31

needed process advancements, and

2:31

wasn't aligned with the promise

2:37

any more of the business, now

2:37

that it had grown past the state

2:41

of just sort of owner operation.

2:41

And this may have already

2:44

happened to you as a business

2:44

owner, but if it hasn't, it

2:47

probably will if you continue to

2:47

grow. And so what are the steps

2:53

that we need to take if we have

2:53

to release a key person in our

2:56

business has been with us for so

2:56

long? You know, it's really

2:59

tough to do because we've made

2:59

personal attachments and things

3:02

like this two, step one is just

3:02

to acknowledge that they're the

3:05

right fit anymore, really

3:05

recognize the misalignment and

3:08

understand that it's really no

3:08

one's fault. It's about the

3:11

journey of your business. And we

3:11

can't stop the business from

3:14

growing and making the

3:14

advancements that it needs to

3:17

make. Step two is around

3:17

communication and have an honest

3:21

and respectful conversation. I

3:21

like to use I statements to

3:24

express my perspective and then

3:24

listen to theirs. It really

3:28

helps keep the conversation

3:28

focused on perspectives and

3:31

feelings as opposed to placing

3:31

blame and saying, Hey, you

3:34

didn't do this didn't do that,

3:34

you know, say something like,

3:37

I've noticed that our company is

3:37

moving in a new direction. And

3:40

it seems our paths are diverging

3:40

a little bit something like

3:43

that's a little more uneasy and

3:43

talks about feelings and what

3:46

have you. Step three is support.

3:46

And when you can offer support

3:50

in the transition, Viet

3:50

references or networking

3:53

opportunities, it really shows

3:53

that you care about their

3:55

future, not just their past

3:55

contribution to help you get

3:59

where you are today, right. Step

3:59

four is to transition smoothly.

4:03

Plan a period that allows for

4:03

adjustment both for the

4:06

individual on your team and your

4:06

team. It gives time for everyone

4:10

to adjust and ensures that the

4:10

departure will be as smooth as

4:14

possible. It's not going to be

4:14

easy, but things need to change.

4:18

Right. Step five, realign your

4:18

team. Address your team with

4:22

honesty and positivity. Really

4:22

focus on the future here. This

4:27

approach really builds trust and

4:27

shows your team that you handle

4:31

such situations with integrity

4:31

and respect, which I think is

4:34

vitally important as a small

4:34

business owner. And now how will

4:38

you feel when this is resolved?

4:38

Well, there's likely a mixed of

4:42

emotions around here, and you're

4:42

gonna feel relief. Certainly, as

4:45

alignment is restored back in

4:45

your business, but also a sense

4:48

of growth and maturity, you'll

4:48

find that some of the rest of

4:51

your teammates are really moving

4:51

up and taking on new

4:55

responsibilities. you've

4:55

navigated through this complex

4:58

situation with grace, putting

4:58

your business and people first

5:02

and it's a sign of true

5:02

leadership. Your company team if

5:06

it's the right team is going to

5:06

rally around this. Letting go of

5:10

a team member is challenged.

5:10

It's also part of growing a

5:13

dynamic and successful business.

5:13

It's about looking forward and

5:17

making choices that benefit not

5:17

only your business but everyone

5:20

involved in as leaders. We must

5:20

embrace change, even when it's

5:25

hard. Remember, every challenge

5:25

faced with courage is an

5:28

opportunity for growth and

5:28

you're not just running a

5:31

business. You're Building a legacy with your

5:32

business. This is why you got

5:36

into business and you can't let

5:36

that dream fail. By having

5:40

someone who's not in alignment

5:40

anymore, help you run that

5:44

business. While ago, it created

5:44

a tool for hiring and evaluating

5:49

your team and it's called the

5:49

candidate evaluation form nice

5:51

and easy. It's a simple one page

5:51

sheet that will bring clarity to

5:55

whether or not an individual is

5:55

in alignment with your business.

5:59

And if you'd like a copy of

5:59

that, all you have to do is go

6:01

over to simplifying

6:01

entrepreneurship.com forward

6:05

slash candidate and you can

6:05

download your copy there and

6:08

just plug your people through

6:08

the particular form and you'll

6:11

get great clarity as to what you

6:11

need to do when you need to do

6:15

it and with whom you need to do

6:15

it for the rest of your team as

6:19

well. So thanks for joining me

6:19

on this journey. keep breaking

6:22

through, stay motivated and

6:22

begin to look at your team

6:25

through a lens of alignment as

6:25

to whether or not they're the

6:29

right fit for the future of your

6:29

business. The future is bright,

6:33

and your team members need to be

6:33

as well. Now go and make it a

6:37

great day

6:44

and ironic media

6:44

production visit us at our

6:48

ONICK media.com