How can I get over this quickly?

I had to fire a guy today. He called and tried to start an argument. When I refused to fight, he insulted me and ridiculed both me and the company mission. I still tried to be nice. Then he made some very inappropriate personal comments about my husband, accusing me of "trying to run this company to please him (husband)." That's untrue, and my husband is not only happy in another industry, he never even shows up at my office. When the comments became personal and insulting, I warned employee three times, he refused to back down, and I let him go.

This employee had hygiene problems, is disabled, and has made inappropriate sexual gestures to male minors. I looked the other way on these things and tried to work with him. Looking back, I am relieved he's gone.

But I have had to fire three people now (all for employee tantrums and insubordination!) this year and feel depressed. I feel like a weak girl and a management failure. How can I feel better tonight?

You are all so correct and I'm grateful for your comments, because I hope to use them to make better hiring decisions in 2008 as suggested. I am the problem because I am the one who hired these employees. My main problems are:

1. I tend not to care about resumes and applications and hire on personality. Each fired employee seemed so sunny and easy to work with at first. The quieter, humbler hires are still with us and have caused no disciplinary problems.

2. You're right about the male minors thing. I looked the other way because I was too shocked to do anything. I hoped he would just kind of stop. He didn't. I stuck my head in the sand and I deserve what I got. Thank God he didn't harm any of these boys. (That I know of.)

3. I tend to let employees discuss their personal lives with me and lend a caring ear. It is hard not to because I love to care, but I was taken advantage of by each one of these guys. No more in 2008.

4. I need a better policy manual!

Understand that sometimes managers have to do hard things.
It is not a popularity contest.
You are not there to be well liked.
You are there to act in the best interest of the company.
Employees can be immature.
Sometimes they feel entitled to more than they deserve.
You hopefully have some dead wood out of the office now.
Your challenge is to bring in new assets to the company.
Try to get a good fit as far as attitude - people who are willing to do a little extra. People who are willing to work. People who present well.
That others aren't doing well on the job reflects a lot more on them than you. Coaching only goes so far. Coaches don't play the game.
Understand that you have been protecting the company and your own job interests. You have gotten that done this year.
In 2008, you concentrate on maximizing productivity for you and others, finding and coaching great new talent, and moving things forward.
Congrats on getting through a hard year.
Smile, and go in January 2, hit the ground running as only you can.
Take time to assess where you want to go.
Plan it, then execute it.
You can do this!

Employees come and go. But this guy sounds like a real "weiner". You have to be careful though when you fire a disabled person. They will do all that they can do to get you and your company in trouble for firing him. He will say he was fired for being disabled and soforth. You have to be ready with documentation. Write everything down in a journal that happened. Don't feel guilty for letting the loser go. If he is insulting you, he didn't want the job in the first place. You can't go around giving the boss the run around and that is what the punk was doing.

If your employees have tantrums, they should be fired on the spot. You have a business to run, Not a daycare.

Don't worry about it. Feel good knowing you did your company a service by getting rid of a loser!

get you biggest gat go to the mall and kill every one lol jk just go to the movies and relax

Fire yourself, because anyone that's had to fire that many people in that time frame means it your fault not theirs! Of course you would probably believe this to be some sort of tantrum and insubordination! Just quit and permit someone else to take your place!

Ditto to Every Word that Barbara said.

If you fired your employees for the sake of the company (and not for personal reasons,) then you are NOT a management failure. Those are the decisions management has to face. Nobody said this was gonna be easy, huh. ;-)

May be you need to re-examine your recruitment procedures. Perhaps someone is not screening the applications adequately.