Living in a world of layoffs

I’ve actually never been laid off. And I’ve been at a lot of companies that went through layoffs. Was it luck? Mostly. But there are some things I’ve learned along the way… And I’ve seen firsthand what it’s like for people to lose their jobs. I’ve also had to deal with the aftermath when suddenly people are gone in an instant.

I also deal with a lot of the sides of layoffs with my clients.

• J was laid off and his company gave him 6 coaching sessions. We focused on a few things in our time together. First, we talked through some of the emotions about what had happened. We went through my four-workbook Clarity Bootcamp to help them decide what they wanted to do from there. Then we started talking about how they wanted to structure their time off so that they could feel productive doing things like scheduling one-on-one time with people but also having some downtime, personal projects, and time with family. We focused on weekly planning and getting some habits in place.
• M was working at a company that was going through layoffs. They were one of the few people on their team left but the workload had tripled. We worked on understanding what could fit on their plate and how to manage up to ensure they were focused on the right things and there was awareness as to what was going on the back burner. We also focused on some leadership skills that they wanted to develop for the next level in their career. And we worked on how they wanted to position themselves for what ended up being a new job.
• C went through at least 3 reorgs while we worked together. And they had at least two managers let go. We worked on handling the day-to-day during these shifts which needed focus. We also worked on how to onboard a new manager so they understood their history and how they could best support. They also continually strengthened their relationships with other leaders so they had allies and advocates.
• P cut at least a third of their staff. They had to make tough calls on who to let go and they had to make some quick calls on how to support clients during the transition. They had to reprioritize their quarterly and annual goals and do some serious politicking to help everyone understand what the implications were. And they had to reassure their existing staff that they believed in the long run the team would be better and stronger, fortunately, that’s what they actually believed.

With all of these situations, there were things that we could do to make it all much more positive. And while these circumstances are often tough there is often success and happiness on the other side.