The Santo Poco Incident — Firing is Not an Option
History has tendency to teach us great lessons. At the turn of the 20th century there was a small town in Mexico that found itself under the thumb of a mighty dictator. This dictator had become extremely greedy and wanted to rule this town by fear and intimidation. The villagers didn’t know what to do. They tried to stand up for themselves to the point that many of their loved ones had lost their lives. They felt that the only thing for them to do was to turn to external sources. They began looking for anyone that would help. Unfortunately, it was a very difficult time in which to live. People had lost the vision in being ethical and empathetic. It was only a matter of time that this tiny village was able to get a hold of a team of law enforcers in southern California. Times were tough for this team of experienced lawmen. They agreed to help the village and left at once. Unfortunately, due to a lack of communication and understanding, this team soon realized that this war between these villagers and this dictator was not what they thought it would be. They found themselves face-to-face with a force that they could not defeat. They realized that a major mistake had been made. In their short time in the village, they were able to gain friendships with the villagers and had grown a soft spot in their hearts for a few of them. When they realized that they were not up to the challenge, they left…heads hanging low in defeat. The villagers were distraught and inconsolable. After the lawmen left, the dictator tightened his grip of oppression, and punished the villagers further. The lawmen got wind of this, and decided that they had made a commitment to help protect and save this village. They decided to swallow their fear and pride and to do their best in keeping their promise. It wasn’t easy, and the villagers were not so quick to forgive their deceit. But eventually they realized that sometimes you have to provide second chances, and allow people to try. This gave the lawmen courage and in the end gave them the motivation to withstand the blows of this dictator and his team of misfits. They put their wits together and were able to devise a plan that eventually won the small village their independence. Victory was theirs!
If you’re thinking that you’ve heard this story before, you’re probably right. Although it’s not in your history books. It is the plot to the 1986 John Landis film The Three Amigos. Although not historically accurate, there are some great lessons to be learned!
In 1994, Charlie Kim started a tech company called Next Jump. Since starting in 1994 they have opened offices in Boston, New York City, and London. Their growth has been impressive. But even more impressive is one of their company policies. They have a “Lifetime Employment” policy. They will not fire anyone to balance the books.
This is an extremely radical idea, but it has proven very effective for them. When you have a “Lifetime Employment” policy, you do things a little differently. Your hiring becomes for intentional. Gone are the days where you can hire someone and shortly thereafter fire them because it didn’t work out. Or, they “weren’t the right fit”. Your recruiting process becomes much more fine-tuned in hiring the right person.
If someone doesn’t work out, you don’t just let them go. You coach them. Much like the Amigos, when they were hired, they were thought to have been these amazing law enforcers! At least that’s how their films made them appear. But here’s where the point comes in. People aren’t just let go. Next Jump then takes the time to COACH their teams. Much like the villagers gave the Amigos a second chance, we too must give people second chances.
Michael Jordan was not picked for the high school basketball team right off. What did he do? He worked on it. Walt Disney was told that he was talentless. What did he do? He worked on it. Sometimes we are too quick to say “the end” when someone doesn’t automatically live up to our expectations.
In order for a company to be successful, there are two things that have to happen. You have to have consistent growth and revenue. That takes work. If we gave up on everything at the first sign of weakness, then we’ve already failed. I’m sure you can look back on a time when you were not quite so perfect.
The problem with just firing someone is the fact that it’s a Band-Aid. Like liposuction, firing someone is a quick fix and a temporary solution. In order to lose weight and keep it off, I have to actually create life changing habits. Only when I change my habits do I see actual results. When my employees struggle with any one item, I can work with them. I can coach them and help them turn those weaknesses into strengths.
With this thought in mind, our hiring, training and development, and performance managing become more deliberate. We will focus more on strengthening our processes. We will become an extremely effective, well-oiled machine.
Now, understand, this doesn’t mean that people aren’t fired for breaking company policy or the law. The concept is steeped in the fact that jobs can be trained. People can improve their skills when we spend the time and effort, and pay attention to their needs.
Think of your children. When your children do something bad, we can’t just give them back and ask for another. Like it or not, your employees are like your children. It is your job to help “rear” them in a way that makes them effective contributors to society.
This is not a simple task, but Next Jump has made it work. They do everything with better intent, because they know that at the end of the day, they as a company are only successful if their teams are successful.
