Should the CIO leave with a second round of layoffs

Dear Bob …

The CEO has just let me know to prepare IT for our second round of layoffs.

The first round already cut pretty deep, and I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to be able to cover all the bases with the size of this next reduction.

Understand, I’m not complaining. Given our company’s financial condition, I don’t know that we have any other choices.

The question I’m wrestling with is whether my right course of action will be to volunteer to be the first out the door. I’m paid enough that by leaving I could probably save at least one full headcount elsewhere, which might be of more value for the company than my staying on to head things up.

What are your thoughts? Should I stay to fight the good fight? Or should I take a severance package and hit the streets?

– Under the knife

Dear Sliced …

That’s a tough question. Well, no, actually, it isn’t. You should stay.

And, you should start looking for your next opportunity.

You should stay until something solid comes along, both for selfish reasons — it’s tough right now, you undoubtedly can use every paycheck you can get, and it’s easier to find a position from a position — and because leaving to keep one more technician isn’t doing anyone any favors.

You say this is the second round of layoffs. That means Elmer is on the loose:

• Fear: Everyone who isn’t laid off will be concerned the next step is either Chapter 11, the wrong end of an acquisition (followed by centralization and more layoffs), or simply shuttering the business and turning off the lights.
• Uncertainty: If you don’t know how IT is going to get everything done with such a small remaining staff, think of how uncertain the small remaining staff is going to be.
• Doubt: And so, everyone involved is going to have doubts (hey, I had to make this acronym work somehow).
• Departures: As a result, everyone with an ounce of sense is going to be peddling their resumes just as hard as they can, and every additional departure will make the situation even more untenable.

That’s FUDD in a nutshell, and to me it sounds like a time when IT is going to need all the leadership it can get.

So right now isn’t the time to resign. Now is the time to let everyone know what’s going on, and to let everyone know the company has a plan — to give them some reason for cautious optimism.

It’s also time to bring the remaining staff together to help you build IT’s plan. It’s time for triage, it’s time to focus on the essentials, and in particular it’s time to discover unknown or untapped skills and ingenuity on the part of your employees.

There’s a way to get through this. Your employees have the ability. Without your leadership the chance they’ll discover that they have the ability will be greatly reduced.

And when you do get a solid offer, you can plan a professional transition, taking pride in the organization you hand over to your successor.

– Bob