Some Thoughts on the "Art of Firing"

Guy Kawasaki has another great post on the The Art of Firing which follows The Art of the Layoff.

Here are some thoughts (in top-10 format out of respect for Guy):

1. Do your homework (be fair, reasonable and rational)
2. Sleep on the termination decision before committing to it
3. If "buy-in" is required, get it early
4. Get professional advice
5. Prepare the termination documents
6. Map out a game plan (Who will be in the termination meeting?  Who will do the talking?  What will be said?  Where will the meeting take place? What day of the week?  Is there anything "unique" taking place in the employees life that should delay termination?)
7. Implement the decision humanely, sensitively and professionally ("fire the person as if he/she were your best friend").  The termination meeting is not the opportunity for the the employee to convince you of the error of your ways.  The decision has been made.  The sole purpose of the meeting is to implement it, not to debate it.
8. Plan the logistics of the departure.  How will the employee leave the building?  This should be handled sensitively. The employee should not be embarrassed or made to feel worse than he/she already does.  Taking the walk from the termination meeting to the exit in front of co-workers at  the busiest time of the day should, if possible, be avoided.  What arrangements will be made with the employee for retrieving his/her personal items?  What arrangements will be made for returning company property, documents and information?
9. What announcement will be made (a) internally and (b) externally and will the employee be involved in that? 
10. Who will handle post-employment inquiries from, for example, prospective employers, government agencies (Human Resources Development Canada) or the employees' lawyer?  For consistency and control, a point person should be designated, and all inquiries fed to that person.

Guy has a way of distilling his ideas into "top-10 (or 12 or 13...)" lists that really crystallizes his thoughts into bite size morsels.  I'm not sure I succeeded in adding to the discussion, but I do thank him for starting the ball rolling.