05/25/2026
Someone can be the right employee for the business you had and the wrong employee for the business you are building.
That is a difficult thing for any leader to admit. Especially when someone has been loyal. Especially when they helped build the foundation of the business. Loyalty matters. History matters. Relationships matter.
As organizations grow, priorities shift. New opportunities emerge. Customer expectations change. The skills, behaviors, and mindset needed at one stage of a business are not always the same skills needed at the next.
This does not mean good people suddenly become bad employees.
It does mean leaders must ask a harder question:
Is this person still the right fit for where the business is going?
This is one of the questions I often ask leaders I coach.
I call it The Rehire Test™.
Think about someone in a critical role on your team.
Now consider where your business is headed, the opportunities ahead, and the challenges likely to emerge.
Then ask yourself:
If this person were not already on your team today, would you confidently hire them again for this role?
Pause before answering.
Because if the answer is no, termination is not always the solution.
Sometimes the answer is:
Better coaching
Clearer expectations
More accountability
A different role that better matches strengths
A difficult conversation that has been delayed for too long
Strong leaders do not only build teams for today.
They build teams for the future they are trying to create.
Here is the question worth reflecting on:
How many people on your team pass The Rehire Test™?
