We’ve got an unpleasant, difficult employee. She’s a pain in the ass. I bet that never happens to you, right?

What to do?

We have three options:

1. Do nothing. If we do nothing, we lose. She continues to be difficult, and we’re not happy.

2. Talk to her about it. If we talk to her, we win. Maybe she gets better, or maybe not, and then we fire her.

3. Fire her. If we fire her, we win. When she’s gone, we get someone new.

Talking to her or firing her makes sense. Doing nothing means the problem persists.

Mostly—incredibly—we do nothing. Why? Because it’s easier to let her be unpleasant and difficult than it is to talk to her or fire her.

She’s still here.