It starts quietly.

A missed deadline here. A subtle eye-roll in a meeting. Tasks that always seem “almost done.”

At first, it feels easier to overlook. You’ve got bigger fires to fight. But soon, your best people are carrying the weight,  and you’re spending more time managing one person’s drag than the team’s momentum.

You’ve spotted the pattern. You’ve had the conversations. You’ve offered the extra support.

And still, you hesitate.

• You hope things will turn around.

• You want to avoid the discomfort.

• You tell yourself kindness means giving more chances.

• You convince yourself the risk of change is worse than the cost of keeping them.
  
  

Until one day, you realize the company’s slowed down, not because of market conditions or strategy missteps, but because you waited too long to make the hard call.

Are You Waiting Too Long to Make the Hard Call?

Legendary entrepreneur and Stanford professor Irv Grousbeck once said that what set one of his most successful investments (Asurion) apart from the rest was simple:

They terminated ahead of the curve.

No lingering. No drawn-out second chances that slowed the business down. They acted quickly when someone was a poor fit or underperforming.

Grousbeck called it “the absence of dead wood” and credited it as a major factor in Asurion’s meteoric growth.

Why This Happens And Why It’s Survivable

Letting go of someone isn’t just a business decision. It’s an emotional one.

You’ve invested time in them. You want to believe in people. You might fear the ripple effects on the team.

But here’s the truth:

• Most companies aren’t full of A-players.

• The real magic comes from a handful of stars, supported by a team of reliable, hardworking contributors.

• Underperformers or culture mismatches aren’t just “neutral,” they actively slow your ability to serve customers, adapt, and grow.

  
  

It’s not about being ruthless. It’s about protecting the health of the organization, and the people in it.

A 3-Part Framework for Acting Ahead of the Curve

1. Define “fit” clearly.
   You can’t act decisively if you don’t know what “good” looks like. Be clear on what skills, behaviors, and cultural values make someone thrive in your agency.

2. Shorten your feedback loop.
   Don’t wait for the annual review. If someone is off-track, address it immediately. Give clear, actionable feedback, and set a short timeline for improvement.

3. See termination as an act of service.
   To the business, to the team, and often to the individual. Staying in a role where they’re not thriving serves no one. Transitioning them out quickly gives them a chance to find a better fit elsewhere.

Final Takeaway: Speed Protects Culture

The longer you wait to act, the more expensive the problem becomes: in morale, in momentum, in customer trust.

The companies that grow the fastest aren’t the ones that avoid tough calls. They’re the ones that make them sooner.

Terminate ahead of the curve. Protect the team. Protect the mission.