Telling others they are no longer welcome on a team or organization can be a traumatizing experience for all of the parties involved. Good leaders know that how people are terminated is a hugely symbolic act that reflects the true values of the organization and its leaders. Those colleagues who remain maintain a watchful eye, knowing the same treatment could be applied to them.
This makes me think back to my own layoff experience. It was a unique one but it was absolutely governed by the need to remain harmonious. So much so that it completely sacrificed the truth. I was treated kindly, because there was a strong possibility that I could split the organization apart if I discussed the reasons for my dismissal openly. I didn't want to see the organization suffer, so I became complicit in some deceit in order for the truth not to do more damage.
It didn't work.
Looking back I can't imagine what would have worked.
It didn't work because the organization had several strains of hypocrisy woven into the fabric of its structure. My dismissal and the attempts to cover it up only caused more damage from people asking simple questions.
What needed to happen did happen, but now in an uncontrolled way. It happened in a way that turned the organization's harmony into outright lies and sabotage after I was gone.
Makes me think that NICE acts aren't always the KIND ones. The most KIND thing to do for me and the org would have been to let the truth out instead of trying to keep it under wraps.
When it’s a mass layoff, an organization had better have been transparent about the structural strains that lead up to that decision with more than one conversation ahead of time.
Even if company communication doesn’t get handled properly, individual leaders should feel the obligation to their team to communicate the reality of the situation instead of trying to conceal it. Get to know your people, establish trust, communicate in a transparent way… the symbolic act of terminating someone in a respectful and honorable way starts at the relationship building level.
The kind of leader who avoids building personal relationships because it makes it too hard to terminate people… that leader is selfish and wont be admired during or after the termination.
Would like to have read an offering of “best practices” - beyond the reference of treat others as you would want to be treated.
This makes me think back to my own layoff experience. It was a unique one but it was absolutely governed by the need to remain harmonious. So much so that it completely sacrificed the truth. I was treated kindly, because there was a strong possibility that I could split the organization apart if I discussed the reasons for my dismissal openly. I didn't want to see the organization suffer, so I became complicit in some deceit in order for the truth not to do more damage.
It didn't work.
Looking back I can't imagine what would have worked.
It didn't work because the organization had several strains of hypocrisy woven into the fabric of its structure. My dismissal and the attempts to cover it up only caused more damage from people asking simple questions.
What needed to happen did happen, but now in an uncontrolled way. It happened in a way that turned the organization's harmony into outright lies and sabotage after I was gone.
Makes me think that NICE acts aren't always the KIND ones. The most KIND thing to do for me and the org would have been to let the truth out instead of trying to keep it under wraps.
When it’s a mass layoff, an organization had better have been transparent about the structural strains that lead up to that decision with more than one conversation ahead of time.
Even if company communication doesn’t get handled properly, individual leaders should feel the obligation to their team to communicate the reality of the situation instead of trying to conceal it. Get to know your people, establish trust, communicate in a transparent way… the symbolic act of terminating someone in a respectful and honorable way starts at the relationship building level.
The kind of leader who avoids building personal relationships because it makes it too hard to terminate people… that leader is selfish and wont be admired during or after the termination.