Episode 142: What to Actually Say When Letting Someone Go

The Three-Part Script for Letting Someone Go Letting someone go is never easy. Leaders often make the conversation harder by delaying it, overexplaining it, apologizing for it, or opening a debate about a decision that has already been made. In Episode 142 of Leadership Sandbox, Tammy J. Bond gives leaders a clear, humane three-part structure for communicating an employment termination: State the decision. State the fact-based reason in one sentence. Explain what happens next. Tammy explains why the real difficulty is often the month of avoidance leading up to the meeting—not the brief conversation itself. She challenges leaders to separate behavior from personality, verify that expectations and documentation are clear, and stop using extra words to manage their own discomfort. This episode continues the conversation from Episode 141, Quiet Firing: When Leaders Avoid the Conversation, by showing leaders what to say when a final employment decision has been properly reviewed and made. Important: This episode teaches leadership communication, not employment-law advice. Before ending employment, leaders must follow organizational policy and consult qualified HR or employment counsel regarding documentation, protected activity, contracts, final pay, benefits, severance, notice, security, and applicable law. Learn more about COMMAND: https://www.bondgroupenterprises.com/command-leadership