All businesses pay their team members to stay. That’s a given.
But what if I told you that here at Crisp, we do something different?
What if I told you that we pay people to leave?
Imagine this: You have someone on your team who’s not fully committed, not engaged, and not passionate about your law firm’s vision. They’re not making a positive impact on their fellow team members, and maybe they just don’t want to be where they are. That’s okay.
I’m not suggesting that this is a bad person. Instead, I believe it means there’s an opportunity for that person to be at another organization where they’re happier.
That’s more important to me than paying someone to suck up the oxygen at my company when they don’t want to be there in the first place.
I would rather help the person find another organization where they could thrive and be happy and successful.
This is what I mean when I say we pay people to leave:
Several times a year, I make a “culture call” where I invite anyone in the organization who is not fully aligned with where we’re going and committed to helping us get there to simply speak up and say so. We pay them four weeks’ severance and help them find their next position.
I only want A-players on my team who are committed and have a great attitude, but I don’t want to kick people to the curb if they aren’t great fits for my company.
There’s no need for animosity against a team member that’s not working out, and I like to believe those team members wouldn’t harbor ill will against a former employer either.
You and your team members are in a partnership. If one side isn’t getting value from the other, then maybe there’s another role that could be a better fit or another company altogether more suited for that person.
That’s why at Crisp I pay people to leave.
Would you do something similar in your law firm?
