Survival Syndrome: Where Leaders Earn Their Crust
Letting people go has to be one of the most difficult responsibilities of leadership. It’s often forgotten by those affected by redundancy that it isn’t about personalities. No one responsible for performance through people gets up in the morning excited at the prospect of people losing their jobs. It’s the role that is surplus to requirements, not the person.
Challenging times demand the best from leaders. Many corporations fail to recognize the fragility of morale and performance as a consequence of headcount reduction exercises. What has become known as “survivor syndrome” has significant potential to drag any unsuspecting business back in the mire it has attempted to clear itself of in the first place.
This is where leaders earn their crust. “Survivor syndrome” can be catastrophic to performance. It’s natural for those escaping this round of redundancies to be nervous about what comes next. They’ve witnessed colleagues leave, some unwillingly, and working friendships and relationships of reasonable longevity have been severed.
Employees who remain in situ after the process often suffer mixed emotions, grateful to have survived, yet struggling to feel as loyal and committed to an organization that they now perceive to be heartless. The commercial realities matter little to the employee who has fallen out of love with the company they once felt so proud to be associated with. It’s little wonder survivors often become dysfunctional in their performance.
A leader’s responsibility is to help survivors understand the commercial reasons for the process, and subtly reignite their commitment and passion. It’s where the true leader demonstrates the essential arts of empathy and coaching, seeking first to understand before being understood, and, by listening deeply, help each individual reconnect to their desire for success.
So the question to ask is: how much time are you spending with your people? And, most importantly of all, what are you doing with that time? Are you genuinely coaching for performance, or are you telling them what needs to be done? Are you leading or managing? Think deeply about your approach to those you lead, never more than now has it been so important to get it right.
