The New Layoff Loop: Letting Go to Grow with AI

Why today’s leaders are stuck between heartbreak and innovation

"It’s the cruelest irony: lay off the people you care about — then post new jobs in AI the same day."

One of the hardest conversations I’m having with leaders right now is this:

You're being asked to lay off loyal staff because AI has replaced their roles — and then turn around and post new jobs to build out your AI strategy.

It's a revolving door.

You're not just reducing headcount — you're signaling to the team that the industry they’ve worked in for years may no longer exist.

Even massage therapy isn't safe anymore. Robots are learning that too.

The Emotional Whiplash of Innovation

My clients on both sides of the equation are in pain.

• Leaders feel torn between protecting their team and growing their company.

• Employees feel hopeless, anxious, and left behind.

• Families feel the ripple effects — financially, emotionally, spiritually.

People feel like they’re being erased.

A Coach and a Consultant

As a coach, I don’t give advice — I listen, I ask, I hold space.

As a consultant, I do give advice — how to pivot with AI, which tools to use, and how to scale without overspending.

So I sit in this in-between place. I see the grief and the possibility.

We've Been Here Before

Our grandparents feared the machines of the industrial revolution. But history shows:

📈 “By 1913, U.S. manufacturing employment had actually doubled since the late 1800s.”

Machines replaced some tasks — but created new ones and expanded productivity.

Then came computers and the internet. Typists disappeared, but tech teams grew.

The pattern repeats. But we still panic — because fear is natural when the future is unfamiliar.

The Real Issue: A National Resistance to Change

In the U.S., we’ve framed AI as a threat — not a tool.

In China, AI education starts in first grade. They’re shaping future creators.

Meanwhile, the U.S. education system hasn’t evolved in decades. So we resist what we don't understand.

If we want to stay relevant, we don’t just need better tools — we need to rebuild how we think, lead, and learn.

What You Can Do as a Leader

Your job isn’t to have all the answers — it’s to make room for better questions.

• Use AI agents or consultants to scan your business and identify opportunities.

• Host office hours to teach tools like ChatGPT or Claude.

• Share free courses from Google, AWS, and top universities.

• Be transparent about the direction of the company — and how new hires align with it.

Not everyone will stay on the journey. But everyone deserves clarity and dignity.

The Path Forward Is Together

If you don’t evolve as a leader, you won’t survive the shift.

If your employees don’t adapt, neither will they.

You’re in this together.So lead like it.

💬 Call to Action:

Want to talk about how AI is changing your team, your work, or your purpose?

Let’s connect. Coaching is where possibility begins.