CRUEL.
Merriam-Webster defines cruel as “devoid of humane feelings.”
I could never be this kind of leader. And frankly, I question the humanity of anyone who can.
How do you spend years hiring people, mentoring them, getting to know their spouses/children/pets, celebrating their milestones, and coaching them, only to discard them like yesterday’s garbage?
Not because they failed. Not because they underperformed. But because someone decided their position no longer served the future. (Cruel)
You leave people in limbo for weeks. You allow fear and anxiety to consume them. You deliver life-altering news just before the holidays, offer vague explanations about “business changes,” and reduce years of dedication to a pathetic “thank you for your contributions.” (Cruel)
Then, days later, you gather in a room like the cotdamn 12 apostles, unveiling your recycled organizational charts as though you’ve just discovered the future of business.
And the audacity to look straight into that camera, knowing the people who remain are watching you in absolute disgust, and talk about how “emotional” and “difficult” this has been for YOU. (Cruel)
Are you kidding me?
You knew these people. You knew their families. You knew their stories. You knew what they had sacrificed for the company.
And somehow, you managed to turn their devastation into another corporate presentation.
Spare us the scripted empathy. Spare us the speeches about competitive markets and transformation. And spare us the self-congratulation for having the “courage” to make difficult decisions.
There’s nothing courageous about making decisions other people have to suffer for while you collect the paycheck.
No one is asking you to cry on camera. We’re asking whether you have enough humanity left to recognize the damage YOU collectively as a group caused.
Because cruelty isn’t always loud. It doesn’t always look like the horrors we see on television.
Sometimes cruelty wears a suit, sits in a boardroom, collects a bonus, and calls itself leadership.
And perhaps the greatest tragedy isn’t that these decisions were made. It’s how comfortably the people responsible can move on.
May the devil/mara/lu----r find you.