I am a physician who was recently given a termination notice.
Until recently, I did very well with this company.
Q:
I am a physician who was recently given a termination notice. Until recently, I did very well with this company. I was even promoted to a larger medical center about eight months ago. After my arrival, the number of patients at the center dropped off considerably. I believe this decrease was caused by the bad economy, but management blamed me for it. I was told that I would be terminated in three months. Since receiving this notice, I have implemented an action plan, and our patient volume has improved. Now I only have a few more weeks to convince management that the decision to fire me was premature. I really enjoy my job and would like to continue working here. How can I change their minds?
A:
You have nothing to lose by trying, so you might as well take your best shot. Request a meeting with key decision-makers to review recent developments at the center. Give them a written summary of changes you have made and the resulting increase in patients. Describe your plans for the future and ask them to reconsider your termination. If an immediate reversal seems unlikely, see if they will give you an additional six months to prove yourself. At that point, they can review their decision again. During this conversation, be sure to emphasize how much you enjoy your job and want to be part of this team. Enthusiasm and a positive attitude can carry a lot of weight with management.
Q:
A supervisor who reports to me spends too much time talking with employees about their personal problems. Many of her staff members are young parents who carry a lot of “baggage.” I understand that it can be hard to separate personal from professional, and I don’t want to seem unsympathetic. However, we don’t need an atmosphere where managers are viewed as counselors. I am struggling with the best way to tell this supervisor that she needs to focus on her management responsibilities. Any suggestions?
A:
Any strength carried too far becomes a weakness. When talking to your overly compassionate supervisor, help her understand that excessive empathy will actually hamper her management effectiveness. For example: “One of your strengths as a supervisor is that you really care about your employees. But that can also make it easy to get too involved in their private lives. Lately, you and your staff seem to be spending a lot of work time discussing personal issues, so I need for you to limit these conversations in the future.”
Tell her that you know this may be a hard habit to break, so if you notice any lengthy “counseling sessions,” you will gently interrupt.
Then schedule a meeting for the following week to assess her progress. If you continue to observe and provide ongoing feedback, the personal chats should taper off fairly quickly.
