In December 2018, Wired published a shocking account of Elon Musk’s infamous firing sprees during Tesla’s Model 3 production struggles. According to the article, Musk’s frustration with low productivity and failure to meet standards led to the firing of some 700 employees — many of whom never knew why they got the boot. Tesla hit several of its lofty goals last year, but with a workforce motivated by fear, will the company’s success eventually crumble under the stress of the employees creating it?
Musk’s behavior is the polar opposite of how most managers handle unproductive employees. In many cases, managers allow bad behavior to continue for too long before stepping in to do damage control.
In an article I wrote that was recently published on Entrepreneur.com, I dive into the difficult conversation employers need to embrace to assure that their agency maintains the level of productivity and professionalism they need. I’d love for you to check out my insight and give me feedback on how you handle difficult conversations with your agency employees.
