The Most Pressure I've Felt

It was like a scene out of the movie Up In The Air.

The tension I felt sitting next to the HR person while on a Zoom call was palpable.

My task was to inform an employee I managed he was going to be let go.

Was it for performance issues?

Yes.

Was I supportive of the decision?

Yes.

Was I comfortable doing it?

Not at all.

For confidentiality purposes I won’t go further into detail because this isn’t a personal vendetta.

This is a lesson in leadership.

No matter how you feel about a co-worker, it should pain you (to a degree) when they are fired.

In this case, the move was justified, but it still hurt.

In fact, my manager checked in on me after the moment and I couldn’t stop shaking.

It was like a freezing cold, nervous jolt that shot through my body.

This was someone’s potential livelihood at stake and I had an impact on it.

• You may never experience firing someone.

• But you may have been on the receiving end of being laid off.

Here is where I am going with this.

How you respond as a leader reveals what is inside of your heart.

It truly pains a servant leader to let someone go.

I’m not saying I have a heart and you don’t if you don’t agree with me.

There have been plenty of people I’ve worked with that I wish weren’t employed at the same company.

But for a moment tap into the emotionally intelligent side of you.

Learn to empathize with someone who is dealing with loss.

It’s easy to be upset with someone who frustrates you, but how would it feel if it happened to you? 

We tend to remember the extremes when it comes to emotionally charged situations, both highs and lows - the middle is often forgotten.

Believe me when I say it matters how you respond to someone else’s livelihood.

Some of the most vital conversations you’ll ever have as a leader will involve personal tragedy, not work stress.

That’s where what’s inside of you will come out.

Certain situations can’t be trained for in leadership.

• Hearing about a death in the family

• Marriage problems at home

• Kids’ issues at school

The last time I checked, those aren’t included in the manager’s handbook.

Yet the opportunity to respond with care and empathy for a person’s wellbeing may forever change your reputation as a leader.

In the age of Ai, leadership is about being human.

It’s where soft skills prove their utmost value.

If this comes natural to you I encourage you to teach/share it with someone who needs it.

But if this is a skill you need help developing, contact me here.

The cost of NOT having soft skills is treating someone like a robot.

Don’t duplicate Ai. Treat people like as humans.

God Bless,

Scott

If you found this helpful and you’re looking to improve your soft skills as a leader, here are ways to work with me directly:

• 🗣 Hire me to speak at your company or next event (watch my speaking reel here)

• 🎤 Invite me to lead an interactive training workshop, remotely or in-person (depending on location)

• 🤝 Start 1:1 coaching with me as a new manager, current leader or executive (I once managed 30 people 1:1 weekly❗️)

Also, you can help me out by forwarding this to friends whom would benefit from it! Thank you!