I am often struck when people speak of a corporation as though it's a separate physical body. As though a corporation walks, talks, and makes it's own decisions. As though the people who work there are simply parasites that are stuck in a symbiotic relationship; waiting for either a new host to pass by or to be cast off by the current host.
In my working world, I hear of people speaking of this corporation living its core values: Integrity, Accountability, Rigorous Analysis, Respect For Individuals, Consistency, Long-term Focus, Humility, and Collaboration. And when I talk to my fellow associates, they talk to me of changes that my company is making. That the company is struggling to deal with laying off associates after 70 years of never having had layoffs.
Yet, when I walk around the halls, what I see are the individuals who make up this company. The ones who are struggling with knowing who, and when, their fellow associates will be laid off. The ones who have recently acquired homes, had babies, realized they were sick -- and who now worry if they will be amongst those who lose their jobs. Or in some cases, the ones who wonder if it's worse and they're the ones "left behind." They ask, if left behind,
- will their workloads double, triple, and how will the workload affect their family life
- will there be lawsuits for discrimination, unfair labor practices, damage to the company reputation
- will this company still be the place that they believed in when they started
My hope is that in the aftermath, our senior leaders will be able to effectively articulate the strategy of the company; that they will talk to those left-behind and share their vision for how to pursue the company mission when we've lost friends; and provide clear encouragement that some serious long-term thinking about the impact of these changes has truly been considered.
It's a brand new world though. So, we'll see.
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