How to Help Your Team Accomplish More After Layoffs

Some Moments Matter More

Engaging our team right after a layoff is the most challenging period we'll face as leaders.

• We're exhausted

• The team is angry and confused

• Management wants us to produce more from less

Fair or unfair, some moments matter more than others. This is one of these moments that stress our values as a leader and shape our perception in the eyes of others.

We've invested in building the We: our mission, our culture, our values. But this moment fractures that bond and calls into question:

Why did you do this?

The silver lining? How we lead our team through this matters deeply. Leaders who show up for their team make a meaningful difference.

But to get this right, we need a plan.

Expect the Expected

It's not hard to guess what the team's questions will be. So be ready for them.

• How was it decided that layoffs were necessary?

• What did senior leadership miss?

• Were you involved in the decision? Do you agree with it?

• What areas are impacted? How does that change our strategy?

• How will the change what's expected of us?

• Were the severance packages generous?

• When is their last day?

• Can we reach out? Celebrate them?

And the question you know with 100% certain is coming:

Are we safe? Are more cuts coming?

Ideally, we have answers we can share transparently to all of these. We might not have been the driving force behind these decisions, but if we want to reassure them, we must show that we're fully up to speed.

But we can't make up answers we don't have. It's unlikely we'll have every answer, so it's ok to defer on a few as long as we circle back.

The other thing to expect is grief. We might dispassionately know this is what's required for the company to survive. But a) we've had more time to process, and b) these are their friends.

And their grief will take many forms:

• You rock-solid star will suddenly be overcome with insecurity

• Your skeptical devil's advocate will find new levels of distrust

• Your even-keeled veteran will be outwardly pissed off

And they've all earned the right to feel these emotions. Don't try to talk them out of them. Hear them. Let them know we hear them. Then give them space.

The book cannot be rewritten today. At best, we are marking the end of a chapter.

Not More with Less. Better with Fewer.

While most questions will look backward to make sense of the situation, the next time we meet, they will turn toward the future.

Honestly, this is where the management moment is won or lost.

If we simply attempt to do the same work with less, we will never recover. Instead of empowering our team with a renewed sense of purpose, we'll exhaust them until they seek refuge elsewhere. Instead...