A few friends of mine had a tough go this past week, and I was reminded of something a wise person taught me a couple of careers ago (cheers Heather!).

At the time, we needed to let someone go.  Heather asked me “Randall, have you done the 15 things?”.  Hmmm… 15 things? Let’s see… did the employee get the appropriate training, support from their manager, the right resources to do their job?  That’s only three things… What else could it be?

Heather never told me what the 15 things were. That was her point. What she was really asking me was “have you done everything you could for this person?”. 

In that case, truthfully, I hadn’t, and it was too late.  I knew we had to make the change, but I also knew I could have done better.  A bit of introspection later, that’s now the standard I aim for.  Have I done everything I could?  Asking when you’re letting someone go is too late – it applies throughout your relationship with your team.  Have you done everything you can to set them up for success?

Why 15?  Because it’s not supposed to be a listicle cheat sheet – it’s meant to push you to really gut check yourself.  That’s your responsibility to your team.

If this resonates with you, let me know, and whenever you pull it out of your toolbox, raise a glass to Heather!