Bravery
It has been a season of layoffs in tech, and my own company hasn’t been immune. I’ve been struck by the response of many of those affected, and I want to pay tribute to their bravery.
A large number of them are merely casualties of structural decisions that have nothing to do with individual performance. Indeed I know several first-rate sales professionals who now find themselves looking for work. It’s a heartbreaking scene to witness.
It is also deeply inspiring. You see the character and competence of these people on full display. You see the attitude and activities that drove their success now propelling their career pivot. Sellers are trained to own their fate. They learn to keep negative emotions in check, and to relentlessly pursue ways of solving the most important company problems.
It’s their bravery I want to call out.
I remember Neil Gaiman wrote the novel Coraline because he wanted to illustrate what it meant to be brave. The plot came to him on a walk through the woods with his young daughter. She inadvertently stepped on a wasps’ nest, and Gaiman’s protective instincts immediately took over. He began yelling at her, directing her to run away as fast as possible. Meanwhile, he stood his ground as a swarm of yellow jackets surrounded him, stinging him 39 times.
Later that day he was nursing his wounds in the bath, and he suddenly realized he had dropped his glasses near the wasps’ nest. It was impossible to work without them, so he had no choice but to return to the forest. That was the moment he first felt fear. He realized he hadn’t been brave in his earlier encounter with the wasps because his response was purely instinctive. Now he had to confront his fears. Now he needed to be brave.
Many laid-off sellers have already had a frenzied confrontation with the wasps’ nest when an email came out of the blue. At this point they may be dreading their return to the forest. But they have been preparing for this moment. They have cultivated the mindset and skills to survive and prevail. They have built the talent and timber to re-enter the woods, find their focus again, and pick up the journey. I’m watching it happen in real time.
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