I’ll never forget the day I had to fire my first direct report. I felt like I had failed her, and I could see the humiliation and dejection in her eyes. Yuck! Making a bad hire not only ends up feeling bad, it costs a lot in time, morale, productivity, and so much more.
I especially appreciate the reminder to always conduct reference checks. We can all hire smarter with these tips!
A practical framework for you to learn how to manage underperforming employees, from root cause to resolution.
U.S. manufacturing workforce statistics compiled from BLS, NAM, and Deloitte, with employment and labor trend insights for 2025–2026.
Learn how to prepare for a performance review with a career-first strategy for before, during, and after the meeting.