As a manager, the hardest part is actually firing someone. To add on to the hard part, it is when you need to let someone go because he or she is underperforming and not because everyone has to go due to cost cutting. You may argue that since the person is underperforming, you as the leader of the team have to right to ask the incumbent to leave. Yes, you have every right but it doesn’t mean that you are not destroying someone’s livelihood at the end of the day.

Today, I’ll share with you some of the characters that I have no qualms about letting go because such behaviors actually suck the team under like a whirlpool or a quicksand. Before the team sank to the bottom of the ocean on a sinking ship, you will need to identify the dead weights and lose him or her before you lose everyone.

Mr Excuses
Aka Mr It-is-never-my-fault. This one top my list and can often make me lose my cool. The conversation often goes along the lines of..

Me: “Hey, why hasn’t the project been submitted by you?”

Him: “Oh, I plan to submit this afternoon.”

Me: “Do you know the deadline was yesterday?”

Him: “I didn’t know. Jane never remind me! Alright, I’ll do it now.”

Me: “Do it now? How much have you yet to complete?”

Him: “I haven’t started at all. I thought the deadline is today.”

Me: “Seriously?”

Him: “Look it’s not my fault. I don’t know how to use excel to tabulate the figures. John never taught me in training.”

Me: “Why didn’t you ask me? Or Grace?”

Him: “You are always so busy. I planned to ask Grace but she is on sick leave yesterday.”

Me: “But you had two weeks to complete the project.”

Him: “Well, it looks simple enough, I thought it can be done in an hour. Mark didn’t tell me it is that intensive.”

And the excuses goes on and on.. While my blood pressure goes up and up..

Little Ms Always Late
Not only for work. If it is for work, she could be late for 10 minutes and I’ll ask her to work an extra 10 minutes at the end of her shift to make up the differences. But it’s lateness for everything. Lunchtime, meetings, clients’ appointments even handing work on time. It doesn’t matter if you talk to her, issue her countless warning letters. The only time she is extremely punctual about is clocking out of office. Be wary that your team thinks that punctuality is not important to you and the company.

Mr Apple Polisher cum Backstabber
He loves me, he loves me not. You’ll have know this person truly, no matter how much time you spend with him. He’ll never show his true colors and he’ll throw you under the bus as long as his job is being threatened as shown many times when he tells you who is doing what behind your back.

Mr Nonchalant
He doesn’t care. You can see it in his eyes, his actions and hear it in his words, the tone of his voice. He doesn’t give a shit whether his mistakes causes the company to lose profits or allow others to take the blame for him. He doesn’t resign and neither does he care about promotion or pay raise. Nothing motivates him, no matter what you said.

Ms Whiner
Even the most simplest task, you can hear her whining from afar….ten cubicles away….from your closed office door.

“The customer is ridiculous for asking a discount.”

“This task is too difficult. I can’t complete it on time.”

“The weather is so hot, can someone call the maintenances to turn up the aircon?”

“How can anyone call for an urgent meeting one hour before my shift ends?”

You actually missed her voice when she is on  leave.

So who are the characters you can’t wait to say goodbye to? Share with us at the comments below.

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