Exit Function
When Leadership Means Letting Go
"What are you thinking about zzzt? We've had them on a PIP for a few weeks now and are approaching the end. Have they improved?"
I was sitting at home listening to my HR manager talk about zzzt, a member on my team*.* They had been on my performance improvement list for many months, close to a year, but I had only just recently, a few weeks ago, given them a formal PIP.
A Performance Improvement Plan. HR's signal to an employee that they are facing termination unless serious changes are made. Almost all the PIPs I have engaged with have ended the relationship between employee and employer. Either because the employee has already given up and gets the message, or because they fail to improve.
I hoped for the first one, selfishly. I already had no hope they would improve.
But, zzzt, had chosen to stay and try to show improvement.
I put my palms to my face and pull my head down. This was not an easy situation to be in. It never has been, especially when you were responsible for hiring them.
"zzzt has shown initiative to improve, but in my professional opinion, given what we are expecting from them after these years, the growth is not there.”
This was a startup, with limited resources, and limited slots. When we hire developers, co-ops, juniors and intermediates are usually targeted because from an expense side they are cheaper, but also from a growth prospect side, we can see them grow with the company. They become part of the essence of it. It's not enough to just be the same developer from a year ago. Especially if there is no criticality of the work you've done.
Unfortunately for zzzt, they hadn't grown professionally or technically in the two years since I had hired them. I had interns who had joined who are fielding their own full projects and thriving. But zzzt was stuck unable to take lead, technically or from a project side. They were unable to self-direct in a chaotic environment. This was not a medium-large enterprise, where you can hide performance issues. They were visible, and in a health startup, performance is demanded by your own coworkers.
"But I think they can get there…"
"Kevin, if you had a choice to interview zzzt again, would you rehire them?"
I thought about our current interview process. We had redone the interview because of this particular hire, to include a code reading assignment. A few years ago, the interview process included a take home assignment, and we hired anyone who would be able to do it. But we found this would only filter for people who can write, and extract code from pre-existing code. This was precisely the problem with zzzt. They lacked the ability to read, understand and comprehend code. And it wasn't getting better.
I thought back to the day we made the hire for zzzt. The team was small, and I was excited to finally get another developer to help me out, and work side by side with. But quickly within the first few weeks, I found that I did not hire a peer, but a person to mentor and level up. Concepts like hooks, context, provider, recursion, data structures in a React Codebase, things we saw in the interview, were struggles for zzzt. This took time away from my own ability to execute, time away from delegation, and loss in confidence they could do the job.
Maybe I gave the wrong expectation as a lead to them? Maybe I wasn't clear enough? Maybe I didn't spend enough time with them? Maybe if I gave them a few more weeks.
I didn’t want to make that call.
I didn’t want to end their time here. I started it for them, I saw them progress the last two years.
I didn't want to think about their personal life, how it would be affected. I remembered the time I was suddenly let go from a startup I gave a few years of my life to. Suddenly, my life shifted, time schedules had a gap, the people I spoke to for 40 hours a week, no longer there anymore. The immediate loss of money. The anxiety of finding another role.
"I've given zzzt direct verbal feedback. I've sent them an email. I've reiterated this feedback over months. I feel like I've given all I could to clearly help and provide resources. I have sent them a PIP once before, and yet we are still here. I think, yes, we should move on."
I saw where this company was going. I saw the caliber of people it attracted. The eager interns, juniors who dived eagerly into the work and problems, and came with a can-do attitude. The self-sufficient people who I lead, who asked for direction when they did not know where to go. Those who I saw needed their own projects to level up, who clearly spoke of what they wanted and needed. Those who would be the future leaders. This was the culture that this particular startup needed.
How you work, how you perform, how you learn, is all a function of your self-identity. It's a part of you. As a manager, I try to fit the work, and teach people based on who they are, to find the translation to the company's own identity. If I am successful, I can make the match. If not…
I did not want to change a person to fit the culture. I don’t think I should or could. Nor do I think people should change to fit a culture.
You are as you are. The company you join is the same.
You shouldn’t erase your own identity for a dollar. And you can’t act forever.
Who you are will be valued at some position, in some company. And if you can’t find it, you can always make that company.
Easier said than done.
“Kevin, send them a message and let them know you want to chat.”
I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. Felt like we were ambushing them.
It had to happen one way or another.
Or so I tell myself each day.
“When you are on the call let them know that HR will be joining, and call me in. First you’ll say….