Page 118 - Paulisms: Gold Nuggets for Small Business

My biggest ‘Swallow the Toad’ memory was relatively early in my career when I had to make someone redundant after six years of service. I had crossed the line (see Part 3: Chapter 9) and he was a friend. Although he had been loyal and most of the time had done a good job, he was ready to move on, like a child ready for school. He was ready to go to the next level and benefit from someone else’s teachings. I was beside myself, fretting about starting the process. One day, I said, ‘Let’s just do it.’ I felt so much better afterwards, and it wasn’t as bad as I had thought. The business was better off for it for its long-term sake and he moved on to better success elsewhere.
Moving people on is the hardest part of business, but it is easier if you take the emotion out of it: be fair, don’t procrastinate and ‘Swallow a Toad’.
Swallowing the Toad very much ties in with time management; prioritising and making sure you carry out the most important and the