This episode is a reading from my book
Our boss looked around the conference room, sighed, and said, “I need your final list of employees for the layoff next week. Have you decided who you’re keeping and who can be let go?”
There’s nothing like a corporate layoff meeting to reveal the truth about who is valued in an organization. Some employees are so precious that they are untouchable. You might even say they’re “invincible.” Others are so vulnerable that their managers are happy to put them on a layoff list. Most people fall somewhere in the middle.
I still recall the conversation with the leaders of the various organizations within the company. We were discussing numbers and debating names. Someone mentioned another team’s employee as a potential candidate for the layoff list.
His manager snorted. “Yeah, right. Matt is the only one who understands the code for our legacy system. He wrote the whole damn thing. It’s not documented well, and no one else could keep it running. If we get rid of him, we’re screwed.”
The senior leader frowned. “Ok, ok. We can’t afford to lose Matt. What about Tim? What’s he working on?”
Tim’s manager looked uncomfortable. “Umm, he’s on a new project testing some experimental concepts. He’s a good guy. I want to keep him.”
The leader grunted, “Uh-huh. I see. Well, we don’t have the luxury of experimentation right now, and someone has to go.”
Guess who lost their job that day?
Before I proceed, I would like to clarify what I mean by vulnerability in your career and life. After all, doesn’t Brené Brown tell us that there is power in being vulnerable?
Yes, she does. However, to be clear, she’s referring to vulnerability in the sense of being your authentic self, without fear of being human, making mistakes, and connecting with others more deeply. Even she doesn’t recommend that you’re vulnerable with the wrong people or in the wrong situations.
You can be confident, authentic, and willing to be vulnerable. But you still wouldn’t turn your back on a tiger.
Similarly, at work, it’s good to be your authentic self, honest and open, and human. But never forget that your job is a transactional relationship, and the workplace is a competitive environment. Your coworkers are not your family, and your boss is not your friend.
You’ll be treated well as long as you’re delivering more value to the organization than the bottom 10% of employees.
You’ll keep your position as long as your paycheck is a positive ROI for the company.
You’ll have job security as long as your employer remains profitable, the leadership keeps making good decisions, and the company doesn’t stumble in the competitive market.
You may be thinking, “This doesn’t apply to me. My job is rock solid, and it always will be.“
But… will it?
Eventually, we all become vulnerable in our careers. Welcome to the joys of growing older and the challenges of age discrimination! If you haven’t experienced it yet, you probably will one day.
The reality is that most of us are always vulnerable, even if we don’t realize it or want to admit it. Eventually, something will happen that wakes you up to this fact. I certainly experienced that and learned the hard way that I had let myself become vulnerable over the years. For example:
If your primary source of income is from one job and you have a single boss who controls your fate, you are vulnerable.
If you heavily depend on a single source of income to make ends meet, sometimes paycheck to paycheck, you are vulnerable.
If your regional cost of living is so high that your rent or mortgage consumes most of your income, you are vulnerable.
If you want to quit your job and find a new one, but you discover there are no opportunities for you elsewhere, you are vulnerable.
If your profession vanished — or your industry collapsed—and you don’t have a sufficient financial cushion to pivot and rebuild your career, you are vulnerable.
If you’re growing older and age discrimination makes it harder to find employment in your chosen profession, you become increasingly vulnerable with every passing year.
Scroll up and hit play to listen to my reading of the entire chapter. ⬇️ You can also download a free preview chapter here and subscribe to be notified when the book is published.
If you’d like to discuss how my coaching can help you, book a complimentary call with me.
I’m Larry Cornett, an Empowerment Coach who works with ambitious individuals to help them reclaim their power, become more invincible, and create better opportunities for their work and lives. Enjoy more of what you love and do less of what you hate!
📕 Check out my new The Invincible Daily Journals!
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