Nobody gets into veterinary leadership because they love firing people. Most practice managers I work with got into their roles because they care about animals, about medicine, about building something good. And then one day they're sitting across from a decent human being, about to tell them it's not working out.

That's one of the hardest moments in leadership. And it's also one of the most important.

It's Rarely About a Bad Person

Most terminations in veterinary practices aren't about ethics violations or dramatic failures. They're about fit. Someone who's a good person, maybe even a good technician or CSR, just isn't thriving in this role or on this team. They're not bad at everything. They're just not right for what this practice needs right now.

That distinction matters. You're not punishing someone. You're making a decision about what your team needs to move forward, and you're giving that person a chance to find somewhere they can do their best work.

Why We Wait Too Long to Fire

Most veterinary leaders already know when someone isn't working out. They've known for a while. But they wait, because firing feels harsh, because the schedule is already tight, because they keep hoping things will get better on their own.

Part of why we wait is that we compare the wrong things. We look at someone who's underperforming and compare them to a vacancy. "They're better than an empty spot on the schedule." But that's the wrong comparison. We should be comparing them to our best team members, to the level of care and engagement we actually want. When we make that shift, the math changes.

The problem with waiting is that it doesn't just affect the person who's struggling. It affects everyone around them. Your strongest team members notice when someone isn't pulling their weight, and they notice when leadership doesn't address it. That erodes the trust and accountability you've worked hard to build.

Coaching Has to Come First

Before any termination conversation, you have to be honest with yourself about whether you've done the coaching work. Have you had real conversations about expectations? Have you helped this person understand what success looks like in their role?

If you haven't, you're not ready to let them go. You're just ready to replace them with someone new who will eventually face the same gaps in coaching.

What Good Coaching Looks Like in a Veterinary Practice

This doesn't mean one awkward conversation where you tell someone everything they're doing wrong. It means ongoing, proactive coaching that starts with questions. What does success look like for you in this role? Where do you feel stuck? What would help you get better at the parts that feel hard?

When coaching is consistent, termination is never a surprise. The person knows where they stand. The team knows where they stand. And if it comes to letting someone go, everyone can see it was the next logical step, not a sudden judgment.

Fairness Runs in Both Directions

We think firing is the worst thing we can do to someone. But leaving a person in a role where they're unhappy, unproductive, and not doing their best work isn't kindness. It's avoidance. Nobody is their best self in that space, and by not acting, we've told them we're okay with them being stuck there.

If someone is being let go after genuine coaching efforts, you owe them honesty. Not a vague "it's just not working out," but a clear, respectful explanation of what the gaps were and what you tried together. Most people, when they've been coached and supported through the process, understand the decision even if it hurts. I've had people reach out afterward and thank me for the support along the way, for helping them see that their next chapter might look different. That only happens when the process was honest from the start.

Demonstrating Veterinary Team Values

Keeping someone who isn't performing sends a message to the rest of your team, whether you intend it to or not. It says the standard is flexible, that effort doesn't really matter, that leadership won't address what everyone can see.

Your best people deserve to work alongside others who are just as committed. When you make a tough call with care, with coaching behind it, you're not just removing someone. You're showing your team what your practice values.

Making the Firing Process Human

When firing is done well, it feels like a mutual breakup. You've been having honest conversations. You've been clear about expectations. The person knows they're not meeting them, and they know you've tried to help. At some point, you're both looking at the same situation and recognizing it isn't working for either side. That's not a punishment. That's a logical conclusion. It doesn't make it easy, but it makes it fair.

Leadership in the Process

Letting someone go requires you to be direct without being cruel, honest without being dismissive, and clear about what comes next. It requires you to have done the work of coaching long before you got to this point.

The practices that handle this well aren't the ones that avoid firing. They're the ones that invest so deeply in their people that when it doesn't work out, everyone can see it was a process, not a punishment. That kind of leadership builds the culture you want, for every team member who's watching how you lead through the hard stuff.

Do you have experience with tough decisions like when to let an employee go? Share it with your colleagues in the comments section below.