The Magnetic Leader

Chapter 11Unstuck: Releasing Employees Who Cannot Release Themselves

I’ll admit that I didn’t appreciate being laid off when it happened to me, but now I fully comprehend the importance of cutting off the dead branches of an organization in order to make the rest of the company viable. I call this corporate pruning. If you prune on a regular basis, getting rid of employees who are dying on the vine, you’ll most likely be able to avoid the terrible and often deadly reductions in force that we so often read about or personally experience.

Early in my career, I was “riffed”—corporate lingo for being let go so that the company can save money. Being young and confused, I asked my coworker why I was chosen. He was more senior than I was, and he told ...