The Ramsey Show Highlights – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Ignore My Manager's Lapses in Judgement Or Fire Him?
Date: September 12, 2025
Podcast: The Ramsey Show Highlights
Host: Ramsey Network Team (featuring Dave Ramsey and Ken Coleman)

Overview

This episode addresses a pressing leadership dilemma: Should a small business owner fire a manager with repeated lapses in judgment—like borrowing from employee tips and hiding errors—or continue giving him chances? Featuring classic Ramsey Network advice on difficult personnel decisions, the hosts break down why maintaining integrity among leadership is non-negotiable, especially in small businesses.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Dilemma: Should Andrew Fire His Manager? (00:10)

• Listener Question: Andrew from Michigan, a small business owner with 10 employees, is grappling with whether to fire a manager who sometimes excels, but also “borrows” tips, hides checking errors, and lies about mistakes.
  • “Should we fire him or give him one more chance?”
• Hosts’ Immediate Reaction: Both hosts quickly note the seriousness of the repeated integrity issues.

Integrity vs. Performance (00:40–02:00)

• Ken Coleman:
  • Emphasizes multiple prior conversations and no sustained behavior change:
    “At this point we’ve not seen any behavior change.” (00:31)
  • Notes the emotional difficulty but urges separating personal feelings from business needs:
    “You have to separate emotion... But ultimately, you gotta do what’s right, and you’ve felt like this is a problem… This is a character issue, and it will turn into something bigger if you don’t get rid of it.” (01:20)
• Dave Ramsey:
  • Draws from experience in the restaurant industry via coaching:
    “If [the manager] is taking money out of that [tip pool], he's stealing from your other employees. That's not something you need to give grace to.” (01:50)
  • Underscores the impact on team morale and trust.

Team Morale & Trust (01:42–03:36)

• Host A (Dave Ramsey):
  • Employees are likely aware of the theft:
    “There's not a single person that works in that restaurant that thinks this guy's awesome. He's stealing from them, and they know it.” (02:11)
  • Predicts a positive response if the manager is fired:
    “Everyone in the place is gonna cheer when you fire this guy.” (02:30)
  • Expands on zero tolerance for stealing and dishonesty in business.

Zero Tolerance: Leadership and Integrity (03:37–05:30)

• Dave explains that their own businesses give employees warnings and second chances for most issues, but not theft or drugs: “There's a couple of things we don't...One of them is you steal. I don't really need to spend time rehabbing a thief.” (03:48)
  • Illustrates policy with stark hypothetical:
    “Somebody accidentally left a bag of cocaine... We don't have a second discussion about that—you’re gone.” (04:15)
  • Makes the distinction between correctable performance issues and fundamental breaches of trust.

Stages of Small Business and Leadership Growth (05:30–06:50)

• Key Insight:
  • In a small team (10 people), leadership feels the pain of losing a key player, but keeping someone with poor integrity is far worse:
    “You are the secret sauce. That’s why you have a successful concern. But now you have to have a backbone and be a leader and fire a thief.” (06:38)
  • Assures business owners that dismissal will likely boost morale, not ruin the business:
    “Andrew, the whole place is not gonna shut down. Instead, they're gonna cheer for Andrew in Michigan… The guy that stole our tips, Andrew got rid of him. Andrew is the man!” (06:00)

The Slippery Slope of “Borrowing” (06:47–07:03)

• Ken Coleman:
  • Warns about language that downplays theft:
    “You've enabled it by just using the language, borrowing. ...If he's borrowing or stealing from his coworkers, it's only a matter of time before he borrows or steals from you if he hasn't already.” (06:47)
• Dave Ramsey:
  • Adds colorfully:
    “100% chance his wife doesn't trust him.” (07:01)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On repeated talks with no change:
  “We’ve had numerous conversations… At this point we’ve not seen any behavior change.” (00:31, Ken Coleman)

• On team morale:
  “Everyone in the place is going to cheer when you fire this guy. He’s stealing their tips.” (02:30, Dave Ramsey)

• On zero tolerance:
  “I don’t really need to spend time rehabbing a thief.” (03:52, Dave Ramsey)

• Leadership reality check:
  “You are the secret sauce… But now you have to have a backbone and be a leader and fire a thief.” (06:38, Dave Ramsey)

• Caution about minimizing theft:
  “If he’s borrowing or stealing from his co-workers, it’s only a matter of time before he borrows or steals from you if he hasn’t already.” (06:53, Ken Coleman)

Key Timestamps

• 00:10 – Listener question introduction: Should I fire my untrustworthy manager?
• 01:20 – Character issues vs. performance; repeated discussions with no change.
• 01:50 – Stealing tips: why it’s a dealbreaker.
• 03:37 – Zero tolerance: where the line is drawn.
• 05:30 – Small business leadership stages, risk of firing, and cultural strength.
• 06:47–07:03 – “Borrowing” language and final warnings.

Takeaway

The hosts make it clear: There’s no room for compromise on integrity in leadership. Repeated lapses in judgment—especially theft—require decisive action, not another chance. Firing such an employee is critical, protects your team, and ultimately strengthens your business culture, even if the decision is emotionally difficult. As Dave Ramsey puts it:
“You are the secret sauce… But now you have to have a backbone and be a leader and fire a thief.” (06:38)