During this extraordinary time of economic turmoil, many of you have confronted the unwelcome task of evaluating employees when layoffs are required. In my conversations with CEO’s, I often find that one factor that obscures the clarity of that decision is the loyalty of long-time employees. As a result of their genuine humanity, CEO’s let loyalty cloud their judgment and obfuscate the criteria that should be applied to those decisions.
In a recent column, Jack & Suzy Welch talked openly about loyalty and the temptation to allow it more influence than it deserves. This article is a valuable synopsis of how to make better decisions when loyalty is in play.