How does firing someone make you feel?

I had to dismiss my best friend, o.k. We were in this college entrepreneurship class, I was leading the team so I had to look on everyone’s performance. He commited one mistake, told him not to do it again, then another mistake, I had to be rude, at the third mistake I told him “sorry I cannot take this anymore, this is not about friendship, this is about a contest and of course is about winning, and you are no helping us to become the best team possible, you are fired, you disapponited me, and all of your team mates” He said “If you do it, I’ll fail the class, and you’ll lose a friend” and I replied, “I won’t change my mind, you’ll find a way to pass the class, but not with us, and if I lose your friendship, you’ll be sorry”. We had coffee after that, and we are still best friends, he understood that things cannot be mixed and that I did what I did because I had to…

I always felt bad doing it even with the most egregious employees. It is a person’s livelihood. Sometimes, as a manager, one has no choice.

If you have tried all the less severe options first, you usually don’t feel as bad.

Makes me feel like crap. Gives me insomnia. No matter how justified.

Glad to know it’s not just my neurotic tendencies :) Thanks!

I completely agree with knotmyday, it really doesn’t matter how justified: In the last of such experiences I had, I was 100% certain it was the right thing to do and had completely exhausted all coaching/improvement options, but I still ended up feeling like the scum of the earth!
Of course, bad – sometimes emotional, other times nearly violent – reactions, don’t exactly put me at ease either….

I fired a few people from my job and it’s always so hard but the last person I fired it kind of make me feel good!! I never liked the person n it just happen that I had to fired him…. Is that bad