Breaking bad news
This hits it right home. The other piece of advice I've learned about breaking bad news, especially in the light of the excellent management tips here I always refer junior leaders to:
http://www.defmacro.org/2014/10/03/engman.html> 32. Have difficult conversations as soon as possible. Waiting will only make a bad situation worse.> 42. Unless you’re a sociopath, firing people is so hard you’ll invent excuses not to do it. If you’re consistently wondering if someone’s a good fit for too long, have the courage to do what you know is right.And specifically about this: It's really best to deliver bad news like this not just as clearly as possible, but also as early.If I'm in the dire situation of having to fire someone, I'm starting with that news right away in the clearest words possible that are not hurtful. The most important thing about it is to leave zero ambiguity.It will hurt anyway, but it leaves the rest of the conversation to recovery and solution-focus. Maybe it's possible to do a referral or an intro or just giving some space and time to listen.But if you have bad news, take the OPs advice to heart — and do it as fast as possible.