After a couple of disappointing seasons, LSU officials met with their head football coach Ed Orgeron and said, “Coach things aren’t going so well. You’ve got $17 million remaining on your contract and we are going to give it to you.”

Coach Orgeron responded, “What time do you want me to leave and what door do you want me out of brother?”

While you will not spend $17 million to take the pain out of a termination, you can reduce the trauma of a separation.

Make expectations clear and meet at the first sign of a problem. If attendance is an issue, show concern and explain your policy. Retrain and coach mistake-prone individuals. Ensure that slower workers understand deadlines and build benchmarks and reminders into the schedule. Explain to whiners the benefits of supporting leadership.

After every attempt at correction, tell the wayward individual you are counting on him and root for improvement. Recognize all improvements, no matter how small. If the issue progresses to termination, tell the person you feel badly you were not able to make it work. Avoid personalizing the decision and support the individual’s search for an opportunity that better fits his talents.