It is difficult to admit that a relationship is not fruitful, especially after the investment of hiring someone or being a friend. Yet the most common mistake I’ve seen leaders make is holding on, so… let go sooner rather than later.
When someone is not a fit, it’s not just a hassle situation. Instead, there may be great costs, such as annoyed coworkers who have to pick up the slack or be held to a different standard. As historian Doris Kearns Goodwin notes, Abraham Lincoln’s reluctance to fire McClellan meant that the Civil War dragged on for years and thousands died unnecessarily. The sooner the cut, the sooner the healing.