When disclosing the firing to the direct reports, make sure that you have a plan for whom they will report to in the meantime and what’s next (executive search, reorganization, internal promotion, or something else). Generally, it’s smart for the CEO to act in the executive role in the meanwhile. If you do act in the role, you must really act—staff meetings, one-on-ones, objective setting, etc. Doing so will provide excellent continuity for the team and greatly inform your thinking on whom to hire next.
