Culture Talks: Stop Lying About Psychological Safety and Layoffs

You can follow Culture Talks on Apple Podcasts as well as Spotify, and subscribe to our YouTube Channel for full episodes, clips, and more. 

Stop pretending that psychological safety and no layoffs go together." That's how we open the latest episode of Culture Talks with Dave McCauley, and it sets the tone for one of the most direct conversations we’ve had yet.

Sparked by recent HBR and McKinsey research, we dig into a shift happening in how organizations think about transformation: it's no longer a single project with a start and end date. It's becoming a continuous practice - a mindset of navigating uncertainty that has to run top to bottom, not get delegated to a Chief Transformation Officer while everyone else waits for direction.

The conversation gets personal when it turns to layoffs. Drawing on my reduction as a Chief People Officer, I lay out a "plan of one" - treating every departing employee's situation individually rather than defaulting to a one-size-fits-all severance package. Dave adds a hard truth from the private equity side: how you treat the people leaving is exactly how the people staying will judge whether they're next.

We both agree on one non-negotiable: never let HR deliver the news alone, and never hide behind a scripted Zoom message. It's a candid, occasionally uncomfortable conversation about the responsibility leaders carry when the ground is constantly shifting.

Watch or listen to the full episode for the "plan of one" framework and two red cards for leaders who get transformation wrong.

Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more!


 

Search Podcasts:

Categories
Month

Follow Us:

Personal Leadershippb+jPodcast, Lorne Rubis, Lead In, tools, culture, leadership tools, questions, coaching, focus, goals, help, culture podcasts, leadership podcasts, podcast, stories, topics, Lead In Podcast, productivity, success, fun, value, ideas, story, belong, resolutions, rethink, hot, coach, great resignation, Culture TalksComment