When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong
In 2004, Dave Chappelle had a show, “The Chappelle Show.” It was a sketch comedy show and must-watch TV. One of the skits was based on the concept of “keeping it real.” For those of you not familiar with the term, it essentially means, “I’m going to be my authentic self in any and all situations.” Some of you may still be unaware of what that means, but I will tell you that being a person of color in the US means you are often aware of your culture of growing up and the culture you face every day. That is just reality. So in 1 setting you’re one way, and in another setting you’re another. It’s called code-switching if you want to look it up. In the episodes, the main character gets tired of going back and forth culturally, and eventually, in “Keeping It Real,” he destroys his livelihood, relationships, etc. The episode is hilarious, but comedy often reflects life.
I bring all of this for context, because I see parallels in organizations today. An organization’s version of “keeping it real” is layoffs. If you challenge organizations on why layoffs are so common, the answer is essentially, “this is what all companies do.” Layoffs are becoming so commonplace that it’s no wonder so many employees I know are struggling with their overall health and mental health. Most companies don’t take Bob Chapman's approach from Barry Wehmiller, God rest his soul. He viewed the company’s poor performance as a leadership failure. Once, during a significant downturn, he and his leadership team took pay cuts to keep every employee employed. That’s what good leadership looks like.
It’s against that backdrop that I write today’s blog. Companies will tell you they’re “keeping it real” or “keeping it 100” by doing what every company does in having layoffs. So, when I saw this post, I was floored. You have a successful company raising prices for consumers, paying the CEO more in one day than most of us will see in a year, and laying off 1000 employees for the 2nd round of layoffs in the past year, and we should all just look at it as “business as usual.” To top it off, the person in charge of at least part of the layoffs was then summarily laid off in surprising fashion after being told her job was safe for weeks. Now, I wasn’t in any of the rooms, so I can’t prove any of this - just sharing what’s been reported, but if true, this is a true shame. It’s literally the reason I wrote my last book, “They’re Worth It!,” because of how upset it made me to see how companies were treating my friends and colleagues. Not only the layoffs, which are hard to endure, but the manner in which they are being executed - which is treating people like “resources” and “FTEs” vs. humans. Who knows the real truth, but in what world does a company leader think laying off 1000 people and then laying off the person who laid them off is a good idea? I wish I could tell you this was the 1st time I’ve heard of this, but sadly, it’s not.
Back in August, in “Scapegoats and Exes,” I wrote about what organizations reveal when they protect the story instead of the truth. When their Values and Culture statements are just words on a wall that are tossed aside at the 1st sign of difficulty. What happens when work asks us to forget that a person is standing in front of us?
Only a few years ago, Netflix was famous for its culture of excellence and humanity. This month it cut about 1,000 jobs or roughly 6% of its workforce, its biggest layoff since 2022, even though it is operating with strong profits. Leadership called it disciplined resource prioritization. I have another phrase for it. Treating people like resources. Lack of humanity. And let me be clear: I’m not saying Netflix is unique in this approach - it’s not. It is simply the most visible example of a pattern I keep seeing: organizations that once celebrated their people quietly relabeling them as FTEs when the profit pressure arrives.
You can call it a business decision. People who receive the reduction in force (RIF) experience it as a judgment about their worth. If you have ever felt that at work, hear me clearly. You are not wrong for wanting dignity.
Sure, I care about standards. I care about accountability. And I know the difference between applying a rule and hiding behind one. A great leader says, “Take care of your family. We will handle the work.” I have seen too many workplaces act as if compassion ruins discipline.
So I come back to where I started: companies “keeping it real” by treating layoffs as “business as usual” aren’t being accountable for their decisions. It’s the front-line employees that bear the brunt of your wrong decisions. Bob Chapman realized this and decided his company wouldn’t operate this way. Companies that treat employees without humanity as part of this process are even worse. It’s where “keeping it real goes wrong.”
Every employee is someone's precious son or daughter. I do not need to know every detail of a person’s life to remember that. I just need to lead as if it were true.
Coach Ha-Keem
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