There's Never a Good Time

There will never be a good time to hold a problem employee accountable. Not next quarter, not after the reorg, not once things calm down. But that's not usually why we wait. In this episode, Kim tells the story of an employee she knew was a problem, documented as a problem, and still did not confront. The reason wasn't cowardice. It was evidence. She had never once seen accountability actually work in that organization, and she drew the rational conclusion. She also corrects the ending she's been telling for years. The situation eventually resolved, but not through process, and not because of anything she did. It resolved because the employee finally upset the right person, and then the organization did what organizations do: moved the employee somewhere else and called it handled. What you'll get: why hesitation is usually a design problem rather than a character problem, how to tell the difference between waiting and building a record, why documentation is a test of your own judgment and not just ammunition, and the three moves that leave you ready when the arbitrary moment arrives.