I recently read the following: “People often regret not getting rid of problem staff soon enough”. This struck me as emblematic of everything wrong with business advice. It was glib, unsupported by evidence, and designed to resonate with our biases. Better to take managerial advice from the trolls in Frozen.
Regret
Sure some managers will probably regret keeping some staff. On the other hand, other managers will regret getting rid of staff too early. (Some managers should regret firing staff too soon but won’t regret it as they never see the great contribution the person could have made). Firing employees as soon as they make a mistake is usually terrible advice for the company. This is in addition to causing unnecessary pain for those who find themselves fired. Anyone who celebrates firing people willy-nilly should never be let near positions of power. (The post was written in 2013 and has been updated since but the point is even clearer now as we have seen how those who like to fire people behave in positions of power).
Managerial Advice From The Trolls In Frozen
It is remarkable that the comedic trolls in Disney’s Frozen seem to give better advice than many managerial writers. They tell us: “People make bad choices if they’re mad, or scared, or stressed” (Disney, Song: Fixer Upper, 2013). The trolls realize it is often situations that bring the best, or worst, out of people. It is usually much easier to change a situation than to change a person. It’ll probably be cheaper, and less unpleasant for everyone, to try and change an employee’s job environment than constantly replace employees dropped into no-win roles.
Ascribing Successes And Failures To The Person Not The Situation
My guess is that our tendency to ascribe successes and failures to the person, rather than the environment, is at the heart of many managerial decision-making mistakes. All the problems of your company can’t be solved with a magical firing. Better to turn to the advice of real expert managerial thinkers. Ask yourself: What would the trolls from Frozen do? Maybe the employee you are about to fire has got a few flaws but really is just a bit of a fixer-upper. Change the situation, and view the person in the right light, and maybe they’ll be just what your company needs.
P.S. I have two young daughters.
For more silly management advice read Jim Collins see here.
Watch: Frozen, (2013), Walt Disney Animation Studios