The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast CNLP 752 | How Do You Fire Staff That Are Like Family? Jon Gordon on Making the Tough Calls on Staffing and Creating Great Teams
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Sep 4, 2025 
Jon Gordon, bestselling author and speaker, dives into the challenging terrain of leadership and staffing decisions, particularly when those involved feel like family. He shares personal anecdotes about the emotional complexities of firing staff and emphasizes the importance of commitment over talent in high-performing teams. With insights from his latest book, he discusses building strong connections, fostering open communication, and the necessity of difficult conversations in leadership, ultimately advocating for a people-first approach in team dynamics.
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Commitment Beats Raw Talent
- Talent alone rarely produces great teams; commitments do.
- Shared commitments and losing egos create sustained team performance.
Read Team Body Language
- Watch body language and pre-game rituals: physical contact, huddles, and engagement signal strong connection.
- Use those tells to diagnose team unity and identify disconnection early.
Ask For A Communication Score
- Ask your team on a scale of 1–10 how well you communicate and what would make it a 10.
- Use the feedback to improve and show humility by acting on the answers.
