Sometimes there's someone on our staff we adore — they're wonderful, they're great to work with, they're talented … but they just don't fit in with your company's short- and mid-term growth goals. But because the business — your business — just needs something else, something they're not providing in their role. Here's what I've learned about firing a hire you love and how to do it with empathy, clarity and integrity. Love and let goYou can be someone's fan and still release them from a fit that wasn't right for either of you. And you can like someone tremendously — even love them — and still realize you can't keep them on your team just for personal reasons.