Growth
Firing an employee may be the most dreaded responsibility of leadership. It's that uncomfortable conversation no one wants to have—yet sometimes, it's exactly what your business needs to thrive. As a gym owner or manager, knowing when and how to let someone go can make the difference between a growing gym and one that's slowly sinking.
Unless someone is the world's first perfect hiring manager, they're going to have to fire people. Many leaders learn this lesson the hard way. Take "Marcus” for example. Everything in this owner's gut warned against hiring him, but drowning in work and desperate for help, they ignored their instincts.
What followed was months of:
When Marcus was finally let go six months later, ten clients approached the gym owner separately the next day to say, "Thank you. We were about to leave."
The gym's retention jumped 15% in the next quarter.
This experience is the perfect example of the three hard truths about firing…
When keeping someone who isn't a good fit, a business isn't just paying their salary. It's paying with:
The math is brutal and compounds daily. If someone is operating at 80% effectiveness, the business isn't losing just 20%. It's losing much more because that ineffectiveness communicates to the team in bold text that being average is acceptable. The damage to client experience will build until it boils over.
Most people who are failing in their roles aren't happy about it. They feel the stress, know they're not delivering, and are often just as uncomfortable as their managers.
By keeping them in a role they're not suited for, leaders are actually preventing these employees from finding something that might better fit their skills and interests.
When looking back at times when terminations were delayed too long, many leaders realize they weren't being kind—they were being cowardly. They prioritized personal comfort and emotional stability over the health of the business, the success of the entire team, and clients' experience.
Here are three signals that it's time to make that move:
Everyone makes mistakes, but patterns don't lie. Is the employee consistently missing expectations? Has the same conversation happened multiple times? If leaders have clearly communicated what success looks like, given feedback, provided support, and the patterns haven't changed—that's a sign.
Does thinking about this person drain energy? Do managers find themselves spending disproportionate time managing them compared to others in similar roles? Are other team members having to compensate for their weaknesses? Are leaders going to bed thinking about this person, dreading having to deal with them again tomorrow? The energy test never lies.
If this person announced tomorrow that they were leaving, would the manager feel relieved after the initial transition inconvenience? Would they secretly think, "Now we can find someone who can really crush this role"? If so, they already have their answer.
Firing someone with compassion and professionalism isn't just the right thing to do—it also protects the business.
This isn't a time for debate, negotiation, or extensive feedback. The decision has already been made. A simple script might be:
"The company has decided to make a change in this position. We appreciate everything you've contributed, and are happy to serve as a reference for positions that might be a better fit."
If they continue to discuss, simply state, "The decision is final."
Make the decision when calm and rational, and execute it the same way. This isn't about punishment—it's a business decision.
Don't trash talk the person who's leaving. Don't share unnecessary details with the team, and move quickly to reassure everyone about the path forward.
Most business owners know within the first 90 days if someone is going to work out long-term. They should trust their instincts. If they're thinking, "Maybe this person should be let go," they probably should have done it already.
As a wise person once said, "You are only a few hard conversations away from the business that you want." Some of those conversations are with oneself about the standards they're willing to accept. Some are with team members who aren't meeting those standards.
Firing faster actually creates more stability, not less. Teams respect leaders who maintain high standards and make tough decisions. They lose respect for those who tolerate mediocrity—especially the A-players.
Remember, keeping the wrong employee might be costing a business more than realized. The cost of delay is much higher than the discomfort of action.
