Member-only story
I Fired a Guy Today… and Honestly, It Sucked
Letting Go, Holding Boundaries, and Following the Way of Jesus
Today, I fired someone.
He was young — early twenties, barely out of high school, still figuring out his place in the world, let alone a job. From the beginning, there were red flags: late starts, long lunches, low output. Plenty of potential, but not a lot of follow-through. Tasks would vanish into the void. Deadlines came and went. And somehow, there was always a reason — traffic, a sick mate, something personal. Always something.
I gave him feedback. I gave him structure. I gave him time.
And I gave him one last chance.
But eventually, I had to give him the truth.
It wasn’t some explosive moment. No raised voices. No slamming doors. Just a quiet, 10:00 a.m. meeting scheduled in a borrowed room with cheap plastic chairs, fluorescent lights that hummed faintly overhead, and a table that still had someone else’s coffee ring on it.
I’d gone over what I was going to say at least a dozen times — out loud, in my head, once in the car while driving to work. I didn’t want to stumble. I didn’t want to sound like I didn’t care. There’s a weird kind of pressure in these moments — like you’re supposed to be professional…
