Let me start by saying I enjoyed your insight, but why do I get the feeling the article ideation started with, “not enough people are writing articles that include firing people (as an important option)”. It just didn’t fit with the rest of the piece. Honestly, I think the better lesson, for a CEO to learn, is to “take the time to hire the right people” so you don’t need to fire people down the line.

In my experience, very rarely do people do things so egregious that warrants an out and out firing. Hiring managers either fail to communicate the challenges facing the company, during the interview process, or managers fail to communicate their ideas successfully when tasking their employees with assignments. I’d bet good money someone at the company failed that troubled employee much earlier in the process than the other way around.

While I never considered it before, I’m sure you can apply the “5 why’s” to an employee situation just as well to “why the our twitter service was down again today”.

Even better than the firing option, is to promote a work ethic, in yourself, that inspires people around you and make yourself available to employees more often. You mentioned “saying nice things”, but if you’re running hot and cold with some employees and not others, I can’t imagine that would instill loyalty.