Navigating career:
Letting someone go
Letting someone go
Handling staff turnover tests leadership skills as design studios scale up. These stories explore overcoming taking exits personally, firing with compassion, and hiring for the mindset to build cohesive teams.
Handling staff turnover tests leadership skills as design studios scale up. These stories explore overcoming taking exits personally, firing with compassion, and hiring for the mindset to build cohesive teams.
At first, when someone quit, I took it personally, wondering what I did wrong. It was a small studio then. Now, with experience, I’m happy for people when they move on because it’s normal to leave eventually. I understand that no one is irreplaceable, including me. When it happens now, it’s often because people want to start their own project—that feels like an award for me!
I had to fire a person recently, which was the worst. But therapy and coaching helped me manage it professionally without affecting my personal life. That day wasn’t pleasant, but I know it was best for both sides. I was lucky that firings were uncommon early on, because everyone quit instead. Now I set clearer boundaries that I previously lacked around things like punctuality. Small issues can become big if unchecked. I learned to define expectations to avoid problems.
At first, when someone quit, I took it personally, wondering what I did wrong. It was a small studio then. Now, with experience, I’m happy for people when they move on because it’s normal to leave eventually. I understand that no one is irreplaceable, including me. When it happens now, it’s often because people want to start their own project—that feels like an award for me!
I had to fire a person recently, which was the worst. But therapy and coaching helped me manage it professionally without affecting my personal life. That day wasn’t pleasant, but I know it was best for both sides. I was lucky that firings were uncommon early on, because everyone quit instead. Now I set clearer boundaries that I previously lacked around things like punctuality. Small issues can become big if unchecked. I learned to define expectations to avoid problems.
Verònica Fuerte:
Speaker, Lecturer, and Mentor; Founder & Creative Directress of Hey studio. She sees employees leaving to start their own projects as a validation.
Verònica Fuerte:
Speaker, Lecturer, and Mentor; Founder & Creative Directress of Hey studio. She sees employees leaving to start their own projects as a validation.
I’ve always struggled more with hiring than firing people. Finding those rare individuals who share your instincts, values, and vision is extremely hard.
We’ve made wrong hires for both designers and engineers. But our mantra is “hire fast, fire faster” if they’re not a fit. It’s only fair to both sides to cut ties quickly when there’s a mismatch. You have to be honest and move on.
I’ve always struggled more with hiring than firing people. Finding those rare individuals who share your instincts, values, and vision is extremely hard.
We’ve made wrong hires for both designers and engineers. But our mantra is “hire fast, fire faster” if they’re not a fit. It’s only fair to both sides to cut ties quickly when there’s a mismatch. You have to be honest and move on.
Felix Lee:
Co-founder and CEO of the ADPList global mentorship platform. He upholds a “hire fast, fire faster” philosophy.
Felix Lee:
Co-founder and CEO of the ADPList global mentorship platform. He upholds a “hire fast, fire faster” philosophy.
Sometimes an overqualified “star” hire can actually drag the entire team down. Their experience and strong opinions lead everyone to deter, causing other ideas to get lost. The team dynamic shifts to orbit around this central star figure, creating massive dependency. They often end up driving design direction top-down. This can be problematic if the person leaves or is absent, since the team structure has molded around them. We try not to hire the “best” designers for this reason—it seems counterintuitive, but we want great team players with potential.
When hiring, we look for subtle cues: attention to detail is number one. I don’t focus on specific skills like Figma expertise, since these can be learned quickly by the right person. Number two is passion for their craft, which is also critical. If someone has strong attention to detail, I won’t even ask how many years of design experience they have. The person can grow rapidly with the right mentality. Don’t hire stars, hire those eager to develop through attentive, passionate work. Skills come, but mindset is key.
Sometimes an overqualified “star” hire can actually drag the entire team down. Their experience and strong opinions lead everyone to deter, causing other ideas to get lost. The team dynamic shifts to orbit around this central star figure, creating massive dependency. They often end up driving design direction top-down. This can be problematic if the person leaves or is absent, since the team structure has molded around them. We try not to hire the “best” designers for this reason—it seems counterintuitive, but we want great team players with potential.
When hiring, we look for subtle cues: attention to detail is number one. I don’t focus on specific skills like Figma expertise, since these can be learned quickly by the right person. Number two is passion for their craft, which is also critical. If someone has strong attention to detail, I won’t even ask how many years of design experience they have. The person can grow rapidly with the right mentality. Don’t hire stars, hire those eager to develop through attentive, passionate work. Skills come, but mindset is key.
Vitaly Friedman:
Co-founder of Smashing Magazine and accomplished Designer, Publisher and Speaker. He avoids hiring “star” designers to prevent team dependency.
Vitaly Friedman:
Co-founder of Smashing Magazine and accomplished Designer, Publisher and Speaker. He avoids hiring “star” designers to prevent team dependency.
