I swore to myself years ago that if ever I stopped being something when I fired someone I would quit my job and change careers.

The experience still hurts.

I still feel a deep sense of pain for the person I must let go, and I feel a sense of failure in myself.

Almost simultaneously, I feel a sense of love and goodness. There’s a part of me that believes that the right thing to do is to let someone know that you’re not for them. I can’t allow my pain to interfere with the very human job of transitioning someone to their next best step.

Leaders can never forget that honesty and frankness is a strong currency of which there is scarce supply and great demand.