The Live Firing Demo
Hastings: Katie, I can see that you're really working hard and trying to make a big difference here. If I'm really honest with you — if you quit to go somewhere else, I wouldn't try to change your mind.
The reason is — give maybe a minute of detail. Enough that you can feel like there's something there, but not like a club beating you up. This is really hard for you, Katie, I understand that. But my commitment to the company is that if I wouldn't go to change your mind, then I have to give you a severance package.
If you quit, I wouldn't try to change your mind. Here's why. One minute of detail — not a club.
The Bribe to the Manager
Hastings: One of the hardest things is getting managers to do the job. Which is why we ended up doing big severance packages. The severance package is a bribe to the manager to get the job done. Because managers almost by definition like people — they really don't like firing people. But if there's a generous severance package, then it's not so bad.
The severance is a bribe to the manager. Managers like people. They don't like firing them.
Like Getting Cut From a Sports Team
Hastings: It's like a professional sports team. It really sucks to get cut from the team. But it's not an ethical judgment or a moral judgment or a judgment of you as a person.
It's great to tell stories of people who were let go and then changed the industry. Mike Bloomberg got pushed out of Salomon Brothers and formed Bloomberg in the same industry. The more it's socialized like sports — where it's a performance thing, not a life thing — the better.
It's like sports. It sucks to get cut. But it's not a judgment of you as a person.