Jun 18 2009
Entrepreneurial Guilt
Last week I received a call from a Business/Biker buddy that said it was time to ‘get some wind in his face and re-group’. So early Saturday morning we rambled out to one of our favorite meeting places, The Cabbage Patch, a famous biker hangout near Daytona Beach. It didn’t open for another couple of hours, but we planned it that way, as at that time of the morning it’s off the beaten path and a perfect place to talk.
He needed to talk about the latest round of layoffs at his company and how much it hurt. The first round was five months earlier and at that time he’d hoped it was the only one needed to ride out this economic storm, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. Now he found himself having to do it again, and this time he was losing ‘muscle’ as many of those laid off were 20+ year employees who were like family.
With tears welling in his eyes, he openly doubted his abilities as a CEO and leader. For an entrepreneur, employees aren’t numbers on a balance sheet; they are friends who’ve sweated next to you for years helping to build a company – your company and now you have to look them in the eye and say goodbye. You can no longer take care of them and you literally feel their devastation.
It isn’t fair and no matter how many times you’re told “it’s the economy and not your fault”, the pain doesn’t go away. It’s another one of those wounds that we have to endure and hope will heal over time. But until then, we can remain confident in our abilities and hopefully have someone in our lives with whom we can talk about it.
That day I was fortunate to be there for him. Who do you have? Will you be there when someone needs you?
Check back in next week and I’ll talk about strategies you can use if you are faced with laying off staff.”
Dwain
The Biker Guy
As always – This is just my opinion, I could be wrong. So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com I look forward to hearing from you.
Stumble it!
Good stuff man. Glad you mentioned the fact that entrepreneurs really feel as if they their employees are their friends. Letting people go is never easy for that same reason.
I’m happy to have found you man!