“You’re Fired!” Have you ever said that to one of your volunteers? Yeah, me neither. My team, like yours, is full of awesome people who are a privilege to work with. But every once in a while, someone joins the team and takes more from the team than he contributes. Then I’m left with the question that all leaders face at one point or another.
At what point do you fire a volunteer?
While I haven’t ever said, “you’re fired” to anyone, I have had to let people go before. This probably isn’t news to you, but it’s not a fun thing to do. However, through those instances, I learned that there’s more than one way to skin a cat - so to speak. There are several important steps to take before booting someone off the team.
As a church leader, your goal is to shepherd people. Occasionally that will mean removing someone from the team. But for the most part, that means taking steps to walk people through their challenges, and lead them to the place where they can serve God and other people.
As you consider the challenging people on your team, here are the three ways of firing people to consider.
1. Move them into their groove. I once had a technical director who seemed very discontent with his position. During meetings and church services, he was visibly upset that he had to be there. At first I was really stressed about it. I lost sleep thinking about confronting him about it. Eventually we had a conversation about it. As it turned out, the tech director job just wasn’t the right fit for him. After that, he stayed on the team as a recording engineer for the church’s worship album projects. The best part of it was watching him thrive in that position. He loved recording, and he was incredible at it.
Sometimes people on your team won’t be the right fit for their position. When it comes time to do something about it, begin by looking for another role that might fit him or her way better.
2. Take a quick break. A while back I was talking to another worship leader who admitted that, when he was younger, he was fired from the very team he leads today. When he was young, he was arrogant and prideful, and it was affecting his performance. One day, he showed up to serve at his church and his leader fired him, but not for good. First his supervisor confronted his behavior, and explained that it wasn’t doing the team any good. Then he gave the young man some time off. After a few months, the two got together again, and my friend was allowed back on the team. Through that break, he learned a valuable lesson about humility.
Giving a team member some time off is a powerful way to say, “You’re behavior has to change, but you’re really valuable to me.” It gives your team member some valuable time to reflect on what needs to change. And it gives you the benefit of seeing how invested he is in the team. Sometimes, you’ll give someone a break and he’ll just leave. If that happens, it’s a pretty good sign that it was time for him to go anyway. On the other hand, if he takes some time off and comes back with greater understanding and humility, you’ve provided a powerful opportunity for him to discover more potential in himself.
3. Straight up fire the person. This should certainly be a last resort. If redemption isn’t your go to strategy as a church leader, you’ve got no business doing it. But from time to time, you’ll face an attitude that is so toxic, that you have to let a person go for the good of the rest of the team.
When you find yourself in that place, which you eventually will, be sure to speak with love while not mincing words. If someone is troublesome enough that you have to release them from your team, the best gift you can give him is the truth. Be clear about why you’re letting him go. Sometimes that’s the most loving thing you can do for someone.
Firing people is never fun. But as the team's leader, it’s your job to look out for the well being of the whole team. That means confronting the behavior of people who are taking away more than they’re contributing. Remember to always begin with an attitude of redemption, and when you do let people go, give them the gift of honesty.
Have you ever had success in working through issues with a volunteer? Share your wisdom in the comment section below.
Have you ever had success in working through issues with a volunteer? Share your wisdom in the comment section below.
Photo courtesy of Lara Cores at Flickr.com
There is also a course of action that should be taken when you are a co-worker on the team of the one who should be fired or corrected in some way short of firing. In that position, it is your responsibility to bring the behaviors and attitudes of that person to the attention of those who can and should take the steps described in your post.
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