Accountability and Hiring and Firing

Building and maintaining a business where everyone owns their own job takes discipline. An agency owner told me he had recently terminated two employees. Not because he was cutting back but because he needed to upgrade his staff. These two individuals just wouldn't follow procedure. They weren't bad employees. They just couldn't sign on to doing things only one way - the agency way. "I tolerated it for too long," he told me. "And I realized last week that if I was ever going to have an organization where people were truly accountable to do things the right way, then I had to do something different. It wasn't easy but it needed to be done."

So now he's recruiting to fill two jobs. For the job market, it's a wash. For his agency - short term - there is some big expense. Hiring and training take time. For the long term, however, it could mean higher productivity and better performance. So, better profit. Higher return on investment. For the economy, it's a win.

Apparently this strategic thinking agency owner isn't alone. Check out this article in the National Underwriter: "Insurance Hiring Continues Despite Poor Economy, Says Expert."

If you're looking for help to make a touch decision about a marginally performing employee, the bad economy might be a blessing for your business. One of the good things about a bad economy or a soft market is that it forces us to be more disciplined.