Let’s say that someone on your team, “Peggy,” is terrible at her job, not getting any better, or even getting worse. Is it time to fire her? There’s no absolute answer to that question, but here are three questions to consider: **have you given her Radically Candid guidance, do you understand the impact of Peggy’s performance on her colleagues, and have you sought advice from others?** Have you given Radically Candid guidance? Have you demonstrated to Peggy that **you care personally about her work and her life, and have you been crystal clear when you have challenged her to improve?** Has your praise been substantive and specific about what she has done right, rather than simply a salve to her ego? Have you been humble as well as direct in your criticism, offering to help her find solutions rather than attacking her as a person? And have you done these things on multiple occasions over the course of time? If the answer is yes and you have not seen improvement, or have seen only flickers of improvement, it’s time. Remember—the definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing and expecting different results. How is this person’s poor performance affecting the rest of the team? **Peggy’s shortcomings aren’t only your problem. As a manager, it’s your job to make sure you understand everyone else’s perspective, as well, and how her poor performance affects other members of the team.** Generally, by the time one of your direct report’s poor performance has come to your attention, it’s been driving their peers nuts for a long time. Have you sought out a second opinion, spoken to someone whom you trust and with whom you can talk the problem through? **Sometimes you may think you’ve been clear when you haven’t been.** Getting an outside perspective can help you make sure you’re being fair. Also, if you don’t have experience firing somebody, talk to somebody who does. In today’s world, most companies have strict guidelines that must be followed when someone is being fired, and there are lots of legal “gotcha”s that can consume tons of time down the road if you’re not careful. --- **Tags** — [[quotes]], [[management]], [[career-development]], [[performance-management]], [[culture]] **Source** — [[202303281533 - B - Radical Candor]]