Celebrating successes is important, but it’s also important to talk about the components of life as a business owner that are not as great.
Undoubtedly one of the hardest things is having to let a team member, or sometimes an entire team, know that they are not going to be part of the business going forward.
Sometimes that conversation has to happen because its the best decision for the business overall at that time, and sometimes it happens as a consequence of a third party decision.
In either case, it’s still an incredibly difficult discussion to have, and while it’s true that many actions and behaviors get easier the more times you repeat them, this is one scenario where this truism never applies. Over the course of nearly 20 years in business Stuart and I have had to have these conversations on many occasions, for many different reasons, and can definitely say they never get easier.
We pride ourselves on the culture we’ve created, and we know that the way that our people have embraced our vision and values are what truly makes us Epic. Having to tell people that they are not going to be part of the story going forward is quite honestly gut wrenching on each and every occasion, but I hope it’s something that never gets easier, no matter how many times we may have to do it. I hope that in some small way the visibility of how tough it is for us to deliver that message makes it just that little bit easier for those who are hearing it.
Experience has also shown that those farewells can often be a ‘bye for now’ rather than a ‘goodbye forever’. As one of the fastest growing healthcare company in the Asia-Pac region, opportunities are opening up every day and we continue to welcome those whom we’ve farewelled in the past into exciting new roles.
It is important to celebrate and recognize the good times in business, but it’s just as important to recognize that there are days that are really hard. Staying true to our values and showing our people how important they are is vital in either circumstance.
