The document discusses strategies for making difficult decisions regarding employee layoffs and dismissals. It argues that while organizations carefully consider whether to let employees go, they often do not put the same thought into how the transition is handled. It recommends using a 5-question framework to systematically evaluate options for outplacement support and determine the best approach. This will help serve all stakeholders and mitigate long-term consequences of the decision. It also provides tips for healthcare organizations facing physician dismissals, noting that training and coaching can prevent issues in many cases rather than dismissal.

1. FIRST1TRANSITIONSFIRST1STRATEGIESFIRST1TRANSITIONSFIRST1STRATEGI
Letting go of employees is typically a painstakingly considered
decision with myriad consequences carefully analyzed from many
points of view. The next step, however, is strikingly knee-jerk. Someone
somewhere picks up the phone or fires off an email to the same
outplacement firm used in the past. Box checked. But, is this really the
best option?
Why agonize over dismissing an employee or laying off a group of
workers but not give a second thought to how they are treated as they
leave? Why are none of the factors from the first decision at play in the
second? Each separation from employees merits a round of decisions
regarding how best to implement the transition so that all parties
involved are well-served and left as whole as possible.
In his Harvard Business Review article (July/August 2016), “How to Tackle
Your Tough Decisions,” Joseph Badaracco offers a 5 question strategy
ideal for systematically maneuvering through the decisions that should
be considered in each layoff situation.
What are the net, net consequences of all my options?
Rigorously assess every course of action available including the
real-world and very human consequences of each. How will you
communicate the news internally and externally? What services at what
levels (highly personal to the highly automated) might be provided
to exiting employees? How will morale be maintained? A group of
trusted advisers should talk through “What might we do? And what
might happen in the long and short term if we do it?” Go beyond the
data. Considering only momentary economics is like thinking of the
amount you pay a dealer as the full investment in a car. Think total cost
of ownership. Think full impact. Badaracco encourages the analysis of
options through a “humanist lens.”
What are my core obligations?
Rolled into a manager’s fiduciary responsibility is an obligation to the
well-being, rights, and dignity of the people involved and affected by
the termination. Walk a mile in each stakeholder’s shoes. Stretch your
empathy. Set aside your biases. Don’t assume others want what you
would want. Instead, determine how they want to be treated. Use this
insight to prioritize the needs of the various stakeholders.
What will work in the world as it is?
Be pragmatic. Pick an approach that will work.
Value “sustainable” over “safe.” Focus on meeting
stakeholder needs today and into the future.
Who are we?
Think in terms of relationships and values. Select
the options that best reflect the organization or
team’s belief systems. The approach you choose
speaks volumes internally and externally about who
you really are and for what you truly stand.
What can I live with?
Imagine explaining the decision to someone you
respect. How would they react? How would you feel
about their reaction? Write the decision down. How
would that read in a blog or as a news headline?
Does it fill your heart with pride or your stomach with
dread?
Automatically opting for what has always been
done is an abdication of choice that leaves
the organization vulnerable to unanticipated
consequences. If people warranted your best
consideration when deciding whether or not to
part company, are they then any less worthy once
the choice is made? Use the 5 questions to select
the best option for the people leaving, the people
staying, the community you serve, and the health
of the business for years to come.
QUALITY: Take time to do things right the first
time.
SERVICE: Render intelligent, timely and
considerate service to all.
CONCERN FOR PEOPLE: Treat clients,
program participants and employees
with honesty, trust, fairness and respect.
COMMUNICATIONS: Communicate with
our clients, program participants and
employees in ways which will assure mutual
understanding.
CONSISTENCY: Insure that our behavior
each and every day supports our values,
goals, and standards.
SIMPLICITY: Conduct our business in an
easily understood manner.
REALISM: Acknowledge that our success
will come through intelligence, hard work,
patience and experience.
RECOGNITION: That our clients and
participants trust us with the most highly
confidential information they have.
RESPONSIBILITY: Encourage individual
responsibility and decision making.
FLEXIBILITY: Recognize the necessity to be
open to change for the mutual benefit of
our clients, program participants and our
organization.
RESPECT FOR TRADITION: Understand what
created past successes.
INTEGRITY: Consistently practice the utmost
modesty and integrity in serving our clients,
our participants and ourselves.
COMMITMENT: Take the plunge - there is
truth in the theory that there is “strength
in numbers.”
And finally, never sacrifice these precepts
for the short term.
OUR SERVICES WHAT WE STAND FOR
Our day-to-day activities, our dealings
with each other and our relationships with
customers/clients must be governed by a
passionate and unwavering commitment to
a set of values, which are:
First Transitions, Inc. has been a
provider of career-transition
services since 1981. We have
completed consulting assignments
for more than 500 organizations
in 45 states. Our uniqueness has
been in the caring, nurturing
approach we have taken in
assisting individuals in attaining life
goals, personal or professional.
4
w w w . f i r s t t r a n s i t i o n s . c o mFIRST1TRANSITIONSFIRST1STRATEGIESFIRST1TRANSITIONSFIRST1STRATEGIESFIRST TRANSITIONSN E W S & I N S I G H T S
FIRST TRANSITIONSN E W S & I N S I G H T S
1211 W. 22nd Street • Suite 1006 • Oak Brook, IL 60523
(630) 571-3311 • Fax (630) 571-5714 • www.firsttransitions.com
Executives
Senior Managers
Directors
Managers/Supervisors
Exempt and Nonexempt
Group Workshops
Executive coaching
Career Assessment
Organizational career
development programs
Succession planning
Retention strategies
Leadership development
360o
performance appraisals
Selection process design
Onboarding program design
e-Coaching
Pre Retirement Education
Programs
FIRST TRANSITIONS News & Insights
Editor: Nicole DeFalco
Art Director: Tricia Keener Blaha
CAREER TRANSITION
PROGRAMS FOR:
WHERE TO FIND US:
1211 West 22nd St., Suite 1006
Oak Brook, IL 60523
630-571-3311
630-571-5714 (fax)
10 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 875
Chicago, IL 60606
312-541-0294
33 Wood Ave. South, Suite 600
Iselin, NJ 08830
800-358-1112
2151 Michelson, Suite 232
Irvine, CA 92612
949-551-4377
Terraces Center
400 Perimeter Center Terrace, NE
Suite 900
Atlanta, GA 30346
770-891-7866
200 S. Executive Drive, Suite 101
Brookfield, WI 53005
800-358-1112
8888 Keystone Crossing
Suite 1300
Indianapolis, IN 46240
800-358-1112
Our Web site address:
www.firsttransitions.com
E-mail us at:
admin@firsttransitions.com
OUR LOCATIONS
SKILLFUL DECISION-MAKING
More important than deciding is deciding how
Volume 17 - Issue 3
For a trusted adviser to guide you through the
decision process and help you carefully craft
the right approach for your current separation
situation, contact a First Transitions office near you
or visit our website: www.firsttransitions.com

2. a healthy number of doctors willing to change if given the
chance. Healthcare systems folding in stand-alone or smaller-
scale practices are wise to follow the advice laid out by Jack
Welch, former CEO of General Electric.
For years, Welch has declared that all employees should
always know where they stand. The highest performers should
be showered with praise and “sprinkled” with financial rewards.
The mid-level performers should receive resources and support
to help them grow. The lowest performers should be the ones
put into more suitable positions or exited from the organization
with respect and care.
In a culture like that described by Welch, those not willing or
able to change “self-select out” creating space for people
who want to add value to the system. It is then up to the
system to skill-up and coach these physicians; setting them up
for success.
We are seeing another unintended
consequence of Obamacare – a dirge
of docs in outplacement. Many of these
physicians used to lead their own practices.
But, with the growing trend of consolidation,
healthcare systems consumed their
independent offices.
Like dot-com mavericks after the IPO,
these physicians find themselves in the
restrictive confines of a much more formal
environment. Instead of “doctopreneurs”
they are now managers chafing against
the rigid rules and unfamiliar territory of
organizational leadership. Ill-equipped and
unaccustomed to their new surroundings
they “behave badly” and end-up in career
transition. The good news is this is an easily
preventable scenario.
We are not denying the “God Complex” exists among some
physicians. However, in many of the “docs gone wild” situations we
encounter, training and coaching would have prevented the dismissal.
For each Alec Baldwin (check out the 1993 thriller “Malice”), there is
DEAR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES:
People in pursuit of Pokémon are making poor choices with serious
ramifications. They are falling in ditches and wandering onto train
tracks. In addition to the physical and economic price you pay
getting hit by a car while chasing Pikachu; you now have far fewer
opportunities to search while in traction! The instances of poor decision-
making among Pokémon Go gamers is an easy target for playful
derision. Sadly, it is also a wonderful metaphor for the horrifically
short-sighted approach organizations take when dealing with exiting
employees.
A long-term client called to let me know they were terminating their
CEO. They wanted materials and outplacement pricing to include
as a part of the separation agreement. I asked how they planned
to announce the news and if their people were prepared for the
inevitable questions from the press. I recounted our experience and
offered to help craft a statement their PR people could use when the
media came calling. I was assured it had been handled.
They didn’t. I Googled it. They botched it. They used vague terms
like “an employment issue” which created more questions than they
answered. Although no longer right for the job, this CEO still needs
and deserves to obtain employment elsewhere. What happens when
potential employers do the same Google search I did? What about the
community putting their trust in this organization? Don’t they deserve
to have their concerns addressed? How does a complete lack of a
cogent rationale reflect on the Board’s reputation? This organization
clearly failed to thoroughly consider the impact of their decision.
Yes, they got done what they needed today. But at what cost over
the long-run? The boilerplate press release they whipped out will
undoubtedly boomerang back on them hard. Like a
Pokémon player causing an auto accident, it seems
like such a high price to pay for a momentary sense of
accomplishment. With more care, deeper consideration,
and open-mindedness to much-needed counsel, they
could have generated a message that respected
each party’s privacy yet presented the situation in the
best possible light for all involved. In Pokémon Go and
employee dismissals, an ounce of prevention is most
certainly worth a pound of cure!
Warmest Regards,
Russ Jones
Near-sighted Decisions;
Long-range Consequences
Trending: Physicians Behaving Badly
3 TIPS: THERE ARE NO OLD DOGS – JUST NEW TRICKS
Career transitions are a terrific time to pick up or finish a degree, or even study a whole new field. If it has been awhile since you were in
a classroom, you may be concerned about your ability to memorize information. You just can’t see yourself pulling those all-nighters and
cramming for tests. Good! Because those are the worst ways to master information! Here are three far better strategies for learners of all
ages:
Active recall. Unaided retrieval strengthens neural pathways to information and solidifies long-term retention. Use chapter
tests and your own short-answer (fill in the blank are best) questions to force yourself to pull-forward information. This is a far
more effective learning strategy than rote-memorization. Active recall should be repeated in spaced intervals (every day or
so after the information is first introduced).
Elaboration. After each section of a new chapter, pause. Close the book. Tell yourself what you read. Say it in your own
words. Do not try to repeat back the words in the book verbatim – make it your own. At the end of the Chapter, think about
how you would explain the key concepts to someone who knows nothing about the topic – such as a school age child.
Mix it up. In school, information is taught in blocks. So, we tend to study or practice it that way. Though counter-intuitive, and
a bit clunky at the time, it is better to mix it or interleave topics or skills to better simulate how information is used in real-life.
For example, practice questioning and listening techniques together – just as they are used in conversations.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
2 3
S T R A T E G I E S F O R O R G A N I Z A T I O N A L A N D I N D I V I D U A L S U C C E S S
FIRST1TRANSITIONSFIRST1STRATEGIESFIRST1TRANSITIONSFIRST1STRATEGIESFIRST TRANSITIONSN E W S & I N S I G H T S
THREE TIPSTHREE TIPSTHREE TIPSTHREE TIPSTHREE TIPSTHR
1
3
2
Whether exiting one or hundreds of employees, please
contact our office near you or visit our website,
www.firsttransitions.com, for a well thought out
communication plan.
“Yes, I think I have good people skills.
What kind of idiot question is that?”
Contact our office near you or visit our website,
www.firsttransitions.com, to learn more about our innovative
physician leadership development and coaching program.

3. a healthy number of doctors willing to change if given the
chance. Healthcare systems folding in stand-alone or smaller-
scale practices are wise to follow the advice laid out by Jack
Welch, former CEO of General Electric.
For years, Welch has declared that all employees should
always know where they stand. The highest performers should
be showered with praise and “sprinkled” with financial rewards.
The mid-level performers should receive resources and support
to help them grow. The lowest performers should be the ones
put into more suitable positions or exited from the organization
with respect and care.
In a culture like that described by Welch, those not willing or
able to change “self-select out” creating space for people
who want to add value to the system. It is then up to the
system to skill-up and coach these physicians; setting them up
for success.
We are seeing another unintended
consequence of Obamacare – a dirge
of docs in outplacement. Many of these
physicians used to lead their own practices.
But, with the growing trend of consolidation,
healthcare systems consumed their
independent offices.
Like dot-com mavericks after the IPO,
these physicians find themselves in the
restrictive confines of a much more formal
environment. Instead of “doctopreneurs”
they are now managers chafing against
the rigid rules and unfamiliar territory of
organizational leadership. Ill-equipped and
unaccustomed to their new surroundings
they “behave badly” and end-up in career
transition. The good news is this is an easily
preventable scenario.
We are not denying the “God Complex” exists among some
physicians. However, in many of the “docs gone wild” situations we
encounter, training and coaching would have prevented the dismissal.
For each Alec Baldwin (check out the 1993 thriller “Malice”), there is
DEAR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES:
People in pursuit of Pokémon are making poor choices with serious
ramifications. They are falling in ditches and wandering onto train
tracks. In addition to the physical and economic price you pay
getting hit by a car while chasing Pikachu; you now have far fewer
opportunities to search while in traction! The instances of poor decision-
making among Pokémon Go gamers is an easy target for playful
derision. Sadly, it is also a wonderful metaphor for the horrifically
short-sighted approach organizations take when dealing with exiting
employees.
A long-term client called to let me know they were terminating their
CEO. They wanted materials and outplacement pricing to include
as a part of the separation agreement. I asked how they planned
to announce the news and if their people were prepared for the
inevitable questions from the press. I recounted our experience and
offered to help craft a statement their PR people could use when the
media came calling. I was assured it had been handled.
They didn’t. I Googled it. They botched it. They used vague terms
like “an employment issue” which created more questions than they
answered. Although no longer right for the job, this CEO still needs
and deserves to obtain employment elsewhere. What happens when
potential employers do the same Google search I did? What about the
community putting their trust in this organization? Don’t they deserve
to have their concerns addressed? How does a complete lack of a
cogent rationale reflect on the Board’s reputation? This organization
clearly failed to thoroughly consider the impact of their decision.
Yes, they got done what they needed today. But at what cost over
the long-run? The boilerplate press release they whipped out will
undoubtedly boomerang back on them hard. Like a
Pokémon player causing an auto accident, it seems
like such a high price to pay for a momentary sense of
accomplishment. With more care, deeper consideration,
and open-mindedness to much-needed counsel, they
could have generated a message that respected
each party’s privacy yet presented the situation in the
best possible light for all involved. In Pokémon Go and
employee dismissals, an ounce of prevention is most
certainly worth a pound of cure!
Warmest Regards,
Russ Jones
Near-sighted Decisions;
Long-range Consequences
Trending: Physicians Behaving Badly
3 TIPS: THERE ARE NO OLD DOGS – JUST NEW TRICKS
Career transitions are a terrific time to pick up or finish a degree, or even study a whole new field. If it has been awhile since you were in
a classroom, you may be concerned about your ability to memorize information. You just can’t see yourself pulling those all-nighters and
cramming for tests. Good! Because those are the worst ways to master information! Here are three far better strategies for learners of all
ages:
Active recall. Unaided retrieval strengthens neural pathways to information and solidifies long-term retention. Use chapter
tests and your own short-answer (fill in the blank are best) questions to force yourself to pull-forward information. This is a far
more effective learning strategy than rote-memorization. Active recall should be repeated in spaced intervals (every day or
so after the information is first introduced).
Elaboration. After each section of a new chapter, pause. Close the book. Tell yourself what you read. Say it in your own
words. Do not try to repeat back the words in the book verbatim – make it your own. At the end of the Chapter, think about
how you would explain the key concepts to someone who knows nothing about the topic – such as a school age child.
Mix it up. In school, information is taught in blocks. So, we tend to study or practice it that way. Though counter-intuitive, and
a bit clunky at the time, it is better to mix it or interleave topics or skills to better simulate how information is used in real-life.
For example, practice questioning and listening techniques together – just as they are used in conversations.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
2 3
S T R A T E G I E S F O R O R G A N I Z A T I O N A L A N D I N D I V I D U A L S U C C E S S
FIRST1TRANSITIONSFIRST1STRATEGIESFIRST1TRANSITIONSFIRST1STRATEGIESFIRST TRANSITIONSN E W S & I N S I G H T S
THREE TIPSTHREE TIPSTHREE TIPSTHREE TIPSTHREE TIPSTHR
1
3
2
Whether exiting one or hundreds of employees, please
contact our office near you or visit our website,
www.firsttransitions.com, for a well thought out
communication plan.
“Yes, I think I have good people skills.
What kind of idiot question is that?”
Contact our office near you or visit our website,
www.firsttransitions.com, to learn more about our innovative
physician leadership development and coaching program.

4. FIRST1TRANSITIONSFIRST1STRATEGIESFIRST1TRANSITIONSFIRST1STRATEGI
Letting go of employees is typically a painstakingly considered
decision with myriad consequences carefully analyzed from many
points of view. The next step, however, is strikingly knee-jerk. Someone
somewhere picks up the phone or fires off an email to the same
outplacement firm used in the past. Box checked. But, is this really the
best option?
Why agonize over dismissing an employee or laying off a group of
workers but not give a second thought to how they are treated as they
leave? Why are none of the factors from the first decision at play in the
second? Each separation from employees merits a round of decisions
regarding how best to implement the transition so that all parties
involved are well-served and left as whole as possible.
In his Harvard Business Review article (July/August 2016), “How to Tackle
Your Tough Decisions,” Joseph Badaracco offers a 5 question strategy
ideal for systematically maneuvering through the decisions that should
be considered in each layoff situation.
What are the net, net consequences of all my options?
Rigorously assess every course of action available including the
real-world and very human consequences of each. How will you
communicate the news internally and externally? What services at what
levels (highly personal to the highly automated) might be provided
to exiting employees? How will morale be maintained? A group of
trusted advisers should talk through “What might we do? And what
might happen in the long and short term if we do it?” Go beyond the
data. Considering only momentary economics is like thinking of the
amount you pay a dealer as the full investment in a car. Think total cost
of ownership. Think full impact. Badaracco encourages the analysis of
options through a “humanist lens.”
What are my core obligations?
Rolled into a manager’s fiduciary responsibility is an obligation to the
well-being, rights, and dignity of the people involved and affected by
the termination. Walk a mile in each stakeholder’s shoes. Stretch your
empathy. Set aside your biases. Don’t assume others want what you
would want. Instead, determine how they want to be treated. Use this
insight to prioritize the needs of the various stakeholders.
What will work in the world as it is?
Be pragmatic. Pick an approach that will work.
Value “sustainable” over “safe.” Focus on meeting
stakeholder needs today and into the future.
Who are we?
Think in terms of relationships and values. Select
the options that best reflect the organization or
team’s belief systems. The approach you choose
speaks volumes internally and externally about who
you really are and for what you truly stand.
What can I live with?
Imagine explaining the decision to someone you
respect. How would they react? How would you feel
about their reaction? Write the decision down. How
would that read in a blog or as a news headline?
Does it fill your heart with pride or your stomach with
dread?
Automatically opting for what has always been
done is an abdication of choice that leaves
the organization vulnerable to unanticipated
consequences. If people warranted your best
consideration when deciding whether or not to
part company, are they then any less worthy once
the choice is made? Use the 5 questions to select
the best option for the people leaving, the people
staying, the community you serve, and the health
of the business for years to come.
QUALITY: Take time to do things right the first
time.
SERVICE: Render intelligent, timely and
considerate service to all.
CONCERN FOR PEOPLE: Treat clients,
program participants and employees
with honesty, trust, fairness and respect.
COMMUNICATIONS: Communicate with
our clients, program participants and
employees in ways which will assure mutual
understanding.
CONSISTENCY: Insure that our behavior
each and every day supports our values,
goals, and standards.
SIMPLICITY: Conduct our business in an
easily understood manner.
REALISM: Acknowledge that our success
will come through intelligence, hard work,
patience and experience.
RECOGNITION: That our clients and
participants trust us with the most highly
confidential information they have.
RESPONSIBILITY: Encourage individual
responsibility and decision making.
FLEXIBILITY: Recognize the necessity to be
open to change for the mutual benefit of
our clients, program participants and our
organization.
RESPECT FOR TRADITION: Understand what
created past successes.
INTEGRITY: Consistently practice the utmost
modesty and integrity in serving our clients,
our participants and ourselves.
COMMITMENT: Take the plunge - there is
truth in the theory that there is “strength
in numbers.”
And finally, never sacrifice these precepts
for the short term.
OUR SERVICES WHAT WE STAND FOR
Our day-to-day activities, our dealings
with each other and our relationships with
customers/clients must be governed by a
passionate and unwavering commitment to
a set of values, which are:
First Transitions, Inc. has been a
provider of career-transition
services since 1981. We have
completed consulting assignments
for more than 500 organizations
in 45 states. Our uniqueness has
been in the caring, nurturing
approach we have taken in
assisting individuals in attaining life
goals, personal or professional.
4
w w w . f i r s t t r a n s i t i o n s . c o mFIRST1TRANSITIONSFIRST1STRATEGIESFIRST1TRANSITIONSFIRST1STRATEGIESFIRST TRANSITIONSN E W S & I N S I G H T S
FIRST TRANSITIONSN E W S & I N S I G H T S
1211 W. 22nd Street • Suite 1006 • Oak Brook, IL 60523
(630) 571-3311 • Fax (630) 571-5714 • www.firsttransitions.com
Executives
Senior Managers
Directors
Managers/Supervisors
Exempt and Nonexempt
Group Workshops
Executive coaching
Career Assessment
Organizational career
development programs
Succession planning
Retention strategies
Leadership development
360o
performance appraisals
Selection process design
Onboarding program design
e-Coaching
Pre Retirement Education
Programs
FIRST TRANSITIONS News & Insights
Editor: Nicole DeFalco
Art Director: Tricia Keener Blaha
CAREER TRANSITION
PROGRAMS FOR:
WHERE TO FIND US:
1211 West 22nd St., Suite 1006
Oak Brook, IL 60523
630-571-3311
630-571-5714 (fax)
10 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 875
Chicago, IL 60606
312-541-0294
33 Wood Ave. South, Suite 600
Iselin, NJ 08830
800-358-1112
2151 Michelson, Suite 232
Irvine, CA 92612
949-551-4377
Terraces Center
400 Perimeter Center Terrace, NE
Suite 900
Atlanta, GA 30346
770-891-7866
200 S. Executive Drive, Suite 101
Brookfield, WI 53005
800-358-1112
8888 Keystone Crossing
Suite 1300
Indianapolis, IN 46240
800-358-1112
Our Web site address:
www.firsttransitions.com
E-mail us at:
admin@firsttransitions.com
OUR LOCATIONS
SKILLFUL DECISION-MAKING
More important than deciding is deciding how
Volume 17 - Issue 3
For a trusted adviser to guide you through the
decision process and help you carefully craft
the right approach for your current separation
situation, contact a First Transitions office near you
or visit our website: www.firsttransitions.com