How to Not Get Fired

This is bound to be a controversial post, but I've worked in an environment with very high involuntary turnover and have learned a few lessons along the way about why some folks are downsizing-proof and others get the boot.

My first caveat is that a broad restructuring, sudden economic downturn and so forth has many undeserving casualties. When I first started out in the professional world, I thought that most people who were laid off or fired exhibited poor performance or behaviour. But then, as I gained experience, I saw the same old underperformers flying under the radar and hanging on to their roles.

It's as much of an art as a science, but the fastest way to get fired is a combination of the following two items:

1. Making someone look bad

2. Pissing someone off

You might think that these two items oversimplify what happens behind the scenes, but in reality, poor performance is often tolerated because it isn't visible.

Making someone look bad is often the result of a poor performer taking on a visible project. The typically negative outcome or interactions with the rest of the team throughout the course of the project become visible to leadership, and reflect poorly on their boss. A poor performer can be incompetent, not have kept up with training over the years, or be competent but have ineffective working habits and relationships. All of these things come to light when this person is in the spotlight, which is why the "fly under the radar underperformers" go unscathed for years on end; they find ways to shirk off leadership and responsibility. To add insult to injury, an unsuccessful team member reflects poorly on their boss and has a ripple effect on their higher-up's own bonus and promotion potential.

Pissing someone off is harder to qualify, but typically is the result of behaviour and personality. It's different than making someone look bad, because someone usually gets pissed off as a result of being made to look bad. You can achieve this fatal error by refusing to abide by a boss' recommendations, company guidelines for the sake of proving a point or not participating in an important project/initiative. Some folks are difficult for the sake of being difficult, miss deadlines and spend hours on end embroiled in low-value processes. These folks are roadblocks - either to the boss' /team's / department's success - and their obstructionist ways earn them a reputation for being ineffective.

As such, the ultimate equation for getting fired

=

being detrimental to your team's success + being ineffective in your role

As I started off this blog post, there are unfortunate times when job loss strikes that are beyond an employee's control (unfair bosses, company downsizing, etc.). But most times, getting fired is the result of making someone look bad AND pissing them off. In isolation, you can survive making someone look bad or pissing someone off. But if you do both, you're unlikely to stick around for very long. Think about people who have been let go at your organizations, and I bet you'll find that many of them have committed these two mistakes!