‘One of My Greatest Regrets is That I….’

Ron Saich

Looking back in disappointment about our decisions is difficult, if not painful. Communicating about it, can be even more challenging. Yet some people do, honestly and more so, publicly.

“One of my greatest regrets or failings as a leader is that I should have fired more people faster," Panera founder and former CEO Ron Saich writes in his book, Know What Matters: Lessons from a Lifetime of Transformations.

“I was too wrapped up in being a caring leader," Saich writes. “I used to think that ‘servant leadership’ meant treating my team as a family.”

He learned, he adds, that being helpful is much more beneficial and a better show of leadership.

Communicating that you “should have fired more people” and “faster” is going to get people’s attention and likely not elicit a positive reaction.

Four leaders showed interest in talking about Saich’s bold, controversial comments — and more — in this Communication Intelligence magazine feature.

These people thought about his experiences and learned beliefs and about whether, as Saich inferred, that such dismissals are usually mutually-beneficial decisions.

Syed Lateef

“Leaders have to make big calls about changes to the team sometimes but you still have to ensure people have what they need to do their job and know what’s expected of them,” says Syed Lateef, an eight-figure Airbnb coach. “If someone is still struggling after that, moving them to a better fit faster suits everyone.”

“Building a strong relationship with my teams has been a priority, yet it’s not a family relationship. It’s rather based on trust and accountability,” states Tamer Aboalam, a founder and leadership and transformation coach at Tamer Aboalam Consulting and Coaching. “Not firing low performers who fail to improve their performance despite the support, means not only decreased results for the whole team but also a negative impact on the team morale and trust.”

“The amount of time — and money — it takes to train and coach someone that’s not going to work out based on performance or cultural fit, far outweighs the uncomfortable conversation of letting the person go,” says Altimese Nichole, founder and CEO at The Ezer Agency, a social media and public relations agency.

“I would first have a meeting with them to discuss their performance,” says Bernardo Castro, the founder of Bybrand, an html email signature manager software. “In the past, I would have used the meeting to gather further evidence to let them go but now I use it as a resource to solve the issue with winners on both sides.”

“I truly believe that we need to make quick decisions about dismissing workers who don’t suit our company well,” says Nikki Jain, founder and CEO at The Sprout PR. “This isn't about quickly ending things but seeing when something is not going well and acting for the best of both the person and the business. Putting someone in a job where they are not succeeding can cause unhappiness and a lack of growth for them. This also affects the group’s mood and efficiency in getting things done.

“It’s important to give clear rules, comments and ways for getting better. But when it shows the fit isn’t improving, usually splitting up is the best move ahead.”

Communication Intelligence magazine asked these leaders to think about their own experiences and conclusions and finish the sentence, “One of my greatest regrets or failings as a leader is that I should have....”

“One of my greatest regrets or failings as a leader is that I should have been more proactive in fostering open communication,” Lateef says, remembering, “Looking back, creating an environment where feedback and ideas flow freely could have led to more innovative solutions and a more engaged team. Encouraging open dialogue helps understand the team’s needs and challenges, leading to better decision-making.”

Tamer Aboalam

“Pushed the teams to share more feedback and solutions to all types of problems,” Aboalam says. “Even though it’s something that is at the core of my beliefs and activities with my teams, it can be improved, especially in diverse teams with certain cultures that are scared of sharing feedback openly. I’m working on developing further approaches and tracks to do just that.”

Being forthrightly, if communicated responsibly, is the expectation from employees and the smart executive decision.

“I should have spoken more clearly and honestly with my team about the problems we were dealing with,” says Jain. “I sometimes held back from telling my team all the problems we were facing. I was worried that telling them about problems could make people unnecessarily anxious or scared.”

She learned something important from those beliefs and errors.

“I’ve found out that being open makes people trust you and helps everyone to work together on solving problems,” Jain says. “Not showing all the details was a big error. Over time, I found out that telling the truth about our problems can make people worry less. It also encourages everyone in the group to come up with fresh ways of solving difficulties together.”

Leaders sometimes make assumptions that they shouldn’t and it results in frustration and unwanted problems and costs.

“I should have been more open to my employees about my expectations of them,” Castro says. “I wish that I didn’t assume that my employees knew what they needed to do for our business’ success. Clear communication could have saved lots of jobs and money.”

Altimese Nichole

“My greatest regret as a leader is that I shouldn’t have trusted blindly,” says Nichole. “Before going into entrepreneurship, I had a supervisor who would always tell me to ‘trust and verify.’ I would think, ‘If I am verifying, am I truly trusting the person to do their job?’ And now I know that the answer is yes! It’s not skepticism. It is wisdom.”

She discovered this reality painfully.

“I learned this the hard way and it cost me thousands of dollars to the IRS, with penalties and fees.”

These experiences, reflection and this conversation assisted these leaders with concluding what advice, concisely stated, they would give others about regrets or failings, to limit their frequency or mitigate them.

“Admit that you will only do some things perfectly. Be open to learning something new daily, ask people for honest input and be ready to switch gears if needed. That’s how you grow and have fewer regrets,” Lateef says. “No one expects you to know everything. Keep wanting to get better.”

“It’s how quick we admit and deal with failings that turn them into valuable experience,”Aboalam says. “Ego often gets in the way of admitting mistakes as leaders. Admitting them to ourselves, teams and our management, along with providing a solution and corrective plan builds leadership characteristics and efficiency.”

“When you hire someone to do their job, trust that they will do it to the best of their ability and ensure there are things in place to ensure that they are doing what they say they’re doing and are competent in performing the job well,” Nichole says. “Be prudent in your understanding, graceful in understanding — they’re the expert — but also confident in your ability to discern if your instinct is saying something isn’t right.”

“You need to constantly position yourself as a facilitator for productivity and transparency,” Castro says. “This involves getting to know what makes your employees tick and offering them feedback consistently.”

Jain offered a deep list.

“Embrace humility: Understand that being a leader doesn’t mean that you won’t make mistakes or experience regret. Say sorry for your mistakes and use them as chances to get better. Sharing the reality is an important way to get trust from your crew.

“Foster open communication: Make it ordinary for employees to often communicate their concerns and ideas. If we resolve problems quickly, they might not grow to be huge errors.

“Learn from feedback: Get the viewpoints of lots of folks like friends, personnel and others who assist your success. Their thoughts can offer vital details about that which you might need to improve. Pay attention.

“Prioritize self-reflection: Schedule a normal time to check yourself — your decisions and actions.

“Mentorship and learning: Find someone to guide you. Learning from skilled leaders and getting updated on the exceptional ways to lead can give you the tools you will need and want for dealing with tough situations.”