December 7, 2025 • 10 mins
This episode gives leaders a precise, step by step protocol for handling non negotiable policy violations, from stabilization and investigation to decision, communication, and system fixes. Use the included scripts, checklists, and timelines to act quickly and protect your standards.
Host: Paul Falavolito
Connect with me on your favorite platform: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Substack, BlueSky, Threads, LinkTree, YouTube
View my website for free leadership resources and exclusive merchandise: www.paulfalavolito.com
Books by Paul Falavolito
Host: Paul Falavolito
Connect with me on your favorite platform: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Substack, BlueSky, Threads, LinkTree, YouTube
View my website for free leadership resources and exclusive merchandise: www.paulfalavolito.com
Books by Paul Falavolito
- The 7 Minute Leadership Handbook: bit.ly/48J8zFG
- The Leadership Academy: https://bit.ly/4lnT1Pf
- The 7 Minute Leadership Survival Guide: https://bit.ly/4ij0g8y
- The Leader's Book of Secrets: http://bit.ly/4oeGzCI
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
performance through strong human relations, team building, and golajiving. This
is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Fellavledo.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
It's episode five forty six. Some episodes are fun, this
one is heavy. There are moments in leadership when an
employee crosses a red line that is not fixable. Theft, harassment, retaliation,
falsifying records, willful safety violations, and threats. These are not
(00:45):
coaching moments. These are decision moments. Today is a step
by step guide to handle it professionally, quickly and fairly
so you protect people, the organization, and your standards. Step
one is stabilized this safety first. Always, if there is
a risk to people, operations, or data, stop work, remove access,
(01:09):
and separate involved parties. This can mean sending the employee home,
disabling logins, securing equipment, or bringing in a second leader
to witness. Keep it calm and private. Your goal is
to stop harm, not start drama, and you could say
something like this, for safety and to allow a fair review,
(01:31):
I'm placing you on paid administrative leave while we look
into a serious concern. You will leave your badge and
device with me, and you will hear from us within
twenty four hours. Step two lock your process, not your emotions.
Don't argue, don't interview in the hallway, and don't retaliate.
(01:53):
Pull your policy manual, your code of conduct, and any
relevant laws. Open a clean incident log. Write only facts, time, date, location,
who reported it, what was observed, what evidence exists. And
if you don't have a standard incident log, you can
use this simple template. Date and time reported by allegation.
(02:15):
Immediate action taken, evidence preserved. Next steps and the responsible leader.
Step three Call the right people, loop in hr in
legal if you have them. If you don't find a
peer leader, you trust to serve as a second set
of eyes. If the issue involves protected classes, workplace violence,
(02:39):
or criminal behavior, get expert guidance. This is where leaders
lose cases by trying to handle it solo. Protect due process,
and protect yourself. Step four. Preserve evidence, save camera footage,
download access logs, export emails or messages, photograph damage, property insecure,
(03:03):
witness statements. Label everything, Do not edit or clean up
if it is digital captured, and read only form if
it's physical. Lock it up. Your investigation is only as
strong as what you can prove, not what you feel.
Step five. Conduct a focused investigation. Set a short timeline.
(03:25):
Twenty four to seventy two hours is the goal for
most cases. Interview witnesses separately. Stick to open, neutral questions.
Tell me what you saw, what time did that happen?
Who else was present with the employee? Be direct and respectful.
You could say something like, we have a serious concern
(03:46):
about X. I will explain what we know. Then you
can respond. This conversation will be documented, and listen. This
step is important. Do not promise outcomes close by explaining
the next steps and the timing. Step six. Apply the standard,
not the mood. Redline. Offenses should already be in your handbook.
(04:10):
Use a decision matrix that considers severity, intent, impact, policy language,
and past practiced consistency matters. If your policy says immediate
termination for falsifying medical records and that's what happened, follow it.
If policy allows a last chance in specific circumstances, ensure
(04:32):
the criteria are clearly met, and then document why. Step
seven make the call, then script the talk. Once the
facts in the policy ALIGNE decide do not drag it out.
If termination is required, prepare a short script and a checklist.
(04:52):
Here's your termination talk script. This one simple. After reviewing
the facts and policy, we've decided to end your employment
effective today. The decision is final. You'll receive information about
pay and benefits. We will collect company property. Now. Do
you have any questions about the logistics? Do not debate
(05:13):
the decision. If they ask for details, you could say,
I understand this is difficult. The decision is based on
our policy and the facts we reviewed, and you can
use a checklist. Witness present property return system access disabled,
pay and benefit details, the escort plan out of the building,
(05:33):
incident file updated. Next is something I call the last
chance talk script. This is a final written warning due
to a serious policy violation. Any further issues will result
in termination. Here are the expectations and dates. Signed to
acknowledge receipt not agreement. Step eight. Protect the team with
(05:57):
a clear internal message. People will notice what's going on.
You owe them safety and clarity without gossip. Use a
prepared statement for leaders to send out. A sample manager brief.
Could sound like a serious policy violation occurred, we addressed
it quickly and according to policy. For privacy. We will
(06:20):
not share details. Our standards remain the standards. If you
have concerns or need to speak with someone, see me
or HR, then move the team back to work. If
the red line affected customers or patients, coordinate an external
statement with your communications lead that is truthful, measured, and legal.
(06:42):
Step nine, close the loop and fix the system within
seventy two hours. Complete your after action review what cueues
did we miss? What controls failed? Do we need to change?
Hiring screens, training access levels, supervision or audits, assign owners
and deadlines. Red lines often expose system gaps. Fix those
(07:07):
or you will repeat the pain. Step ten. Care for
your people, including you. Red line days are emotional. Offer
support to those impacted. If there were victims, check on them.
If a supervisor is shaken, talk with them. If it
touched your reputation with a customer, call them personally and
(07:31):
own the situation and take care of yourself. Leaders absorb
the blasts so others do not have to. In my
red key leadership model, something we will talk about more
in twenty twenty six. There are moments for decisive action, clean, fast,
and irreversible. A red line violation is one of those moments.
(07:55):
You do not pause accountability for convenience. You act with fairness,
you act with speed, and you act with finality when
the standard demands it. Here's a simple timeline you can
reuse first hour, stabilize insecure, same day, notify hr in legal,
(08:15):
preserve evidence, place the individual on administrative leave within twenty
four to seventy two hours, complete interviews, apply the policy matrix,
and then make the decision. In the same day as
the decision, execute the talk script, collect property cut access
document within seventy two hours, brief the team and stakeholders,
(08:39):
start the after action fixes, and within thirty days verify
the fixes are working, and close the incident file. And
here's what to do. If you feel pressure to look
the other way. You might hear they're a top performer,
or we can't afford the fallout, or this is how
we've always handled it remember, or the short term avoidance
(09:02):
tax becomes long term leadership debt with interest. Your people
are watching. Standards only matter when they cost you something.
That's where trust is earned. So here's a seven minute
drill you can do today. Grab your policy manual, your
access control list, and your incident log template. Spend seven
(09:26):
intentional minutes doing this, mark your non negotiable redline list,
update your decision matrix, write your termination and last chance scripts,
and create your manager brief. Save it where every leader
can find it at two am, when they're going to
need it the most when an employee crosses a red
(09:49):
line that's undoable. You do not need to be loud.
You need to be exact, stabilize, document, investigate, decide, communicate
in repair. That is leadership under pressure. And if you
want more leadership content, head over to my YouTube channel.
The link is in the description of the show and
(10:10):
on my website Paulfalovalito dot com. I'm constantly uploading leadership
short videos. Select full length video episodes of this podcast
and future video interviews will be there as well, along
with some behind the scenes content. And while you're there,
please make sure you subscribe to my channel. This has
(10:31):
been the seven minute leadership podcast and I thank you
for listening.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
For more Paul Fello Alito podcasts, visit Paulfellowalito dot com.
Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
performance through strong human relations, team building, and golajiving. This
is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Fellavledo.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
It's episode five forty six. Some episodes are fun, this
one is heavy. There are moments in leadership when an
employee crosses a red line that is not fixable. Theft, harassment, retaliation,
falsifying records, willful safety violations, and threats. These are not
(00:45):
coaching moments. These are decision moments. Today is a step
by step guide to handle it professionally, quickly and fairly
so you protect people, the organization, and your standards. Step
one is stabilized this safety first. Always, if there is
a risk to people, operations, or data, stop work, remove access,
(01:09):
and separate involved parties. This can mean sending the employee home,
disabling logins, securing equipment, or bringing in a second leader
to witness. Keep it calm and private. Your goal is
to stop harm, not start drama, and you could say
something like this, for safety and to allow a fair review,
(01:31):
I'm placing you on paid administrative leave while we look
into a serious concern. You will leave your badge and
device with me, and you will hear from us within
twenty four hours. Step two lock your process, not your emotions.
Don't argue, don't interview in the hallway, and don't retaliate.
(01:53):
Pull your policy manual, your code of conduct, and any
relevant laws. Open a clean incident log. Write only facts, time, date, location,
who reported it, what was observed, what evidence exists. And
if you don't have a standard incident log, you can
use this simple template. Date and time reported by allegation.
(02:15):
Immediate action taken, evidence preserved. Next steps and the responsible leader.
Step three Call the right people, loop in hr in
legal if you have them. If you don't find a
peer leader, you trust to serve as a second set
of eyes. If the issue involves protected classes, workplace violence,
(02:39):
or criminal behavior, get expert guidance. This is where leaders
lose cases by trying to handle it solo. Protect due process,
and protect yourself. Step four. Preserve evidence, save camera footage,
download access logs, export emails or messages, photograph damage, property insecure,
(03:03):
witness statements. Label everything, Do not edit or clean up
if it is digital captured, and read only form if
it's physical. Lock it up. Your investigation is only as
strong as what you can prove, not what you feel.
Step five. Conduct a focused investigation. Set a short timeline.
(03:25):
Twenty four to seventy two hours is the goal for
most cases. Interview witnesses separately. Stick to open, neutral questions.
Tell me what you saw, what time did that happen?
Who else was present with the employee? Be direct and respectful.
You could say something like, we have a serious concern
(03:46):
about X. I will explain what we know. Then you
can respond. This conversation will be documented, and listen. This
step is important. Do not promise outcomes close by explaining
the next steps and the timing. Step six. Apply the standard,
not the mood. Redline. Offenses should already be in your handbook.
(04:10):
Use a decision matrix that considers severity, intent, impact, policy language,
and past practiced consistency matters. If your policy says immediate
termination for falsifying medical records and that's what happened, follow it.
If policy allows a last chance in specific circumstances, ensure
(04:32):
the criteria are clearly met, and then document why. Step
seven make the call, then script the talk. Once the
facts in the policy ALIGNE decide do not drag it out.
If termination is required, prepare a short script and a checklist.
(04:52):
Here's your termination talk script. This one simple. After reviewing
the facts and policy, we've decided to end your employment
effective today. The decision is final. You'll receive information about
pay and benefits. We will collect company property. Now. Do
you have any questions about the logistics? Do not debate
(05:13):
the decision. If they ask for details, you could say,
I understand this is difficult. The decision is based on
our policy and the facts we reviewed, and you can
use a checklist. Witness present property return system access disabled,
pay and benefit details, the escort plan out of the building,
(05:33):
incident file updated. Next is something I call the last
chance talk script. This is a final written warning due
to a serious policy violation. Any further issues will result
in termination. Here are the expectations and dates. Signed to
acknowledge receipt not agreement. Step eight. Protect the team with
(05:57):
a clear internal message. People will notice what's going on.
You owe them safety and clarity without gossip. Use a
prepared statement for leaders to send out. A sample manager brief.
Could sound like a serious policy violation occurred, we addressed
it quickly and according to policy. For privacy. We will
(06:20):
not share details. Our standards remain the standards. If you
have concerns or need to speak with someone, see me
or HR, then move the team back to work. If
the red line affected customers or patients, coordinate an external
statement with your communications lead that is truthful, measured, and legal.
(06:42):
Step nine, close the loop and fix the system within
seventy two hours. Complete your after action review what cueues
did we miss? What controls failed? Do we need to change?
Hiring screens, training access levels, supervision or audits, assign owners
and deadlines. Red lines often expose system gaps. Fix those
(07:07):
or you will repeat the pain. Step ten. Care for
your people, including you. Red line days are emotional. Offer
support to those impacted. If there were victims, check on them.
If a supervisor is shaken, talk with them. If it
touched your reputation with a customer, call them personally and
(07:31):
own the situation and take care of yourself. Leaders absorb
the blasts so others do not have to. In my
red key leadership model, something we will talk about more
in twenty twenty six. There are moments for decisive action, clean, fast,
and irreversible. A red line violation is one of those moments.
(07:55):
You do not pause accountability for convenience. You act with fairness,
you act with speed, and you act with finality when
the standard demands it. Here's a simple timeline you can
reuse first hour, stabilize insecure, same day, notify hr in legal,
(08:15):
preserve evidence, place the individual on administrative leave within twenty
four to seventy two hours, complete interviews, apply the policy matrix,
and then make the decision. In the same day as
the decision, execute the talk script, collect property cut access
document within seventy two hours, brief the team and stakeholders,
(08:39):
start the after action fixes, and within thirty days verify
the fixes are working, and close the incident file. And
here's what to do. If you feel pressure to look
the other way. You might hear they're a top performer,
or we can't afford the fallout, or this is how
we've always handled it remember, or the short term avoidance
(09:02):
tax becomes long term leadership debt with interest. Your people
are watching. Standards only matter when they cost you something.
That's where trust is earned. So here's a seven minute
drill you can do today. Grab your policy manual, your
access control list, and your incident log template. Spend seven
(09:26):
intentional minutes doing this, mark your non negotiable redline list,
update your decision matrix, write your termination and last chance scripts,
and create your manager brief. Save it where every leader
can find it at two am, when they're going to
need it the most when an employee crosses a red
(09:49):
line that's undoable. You do not need to be loud.
You need to be exact, stabilize, document, investigate, decide, communicate
in repair. That is leadership under pressure. And if you
want more leadership content, head over to my YouTube channel.
The link is in the description of the show and
(10:10):
on my website Paulfalovalito dot com. I'm constantly uploading leadership
short videos. Select full length video episodes of this podcast
and future video interviews will be there as well, along
with some behind the scenes content. And while you're there,
please make sure you subscribe to my channel. This has
(10:31):
been the seven minute leadership podcast and I thank you
for listening.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
For more Paul Fello Alito podcasts, visit Paulfellowalito dot com.
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