The Red Threads Blog

Insider strategy for creators who lead.

In addition to our regular Friday newsletter, these are select posts from the Red Threads Blog.

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Last Week Was a Tough One

After months of battling a wide variety of forces impacting our company, I was forced to lay off about a third of my team. 

As the head of our division, the buck stops with me. 

So I was the one scheduling phone calls, Zoom calls, and in-person sit-downs with people I consider to be valuable team members—to let them know they no longer had a job.

Anyone in a leadership position has likely had to shape the active roster of their team—either by bringing people on board, or letting people go. These decisions are always fraught with risk and never easy on either side of the coin. 

But having to fire someone—or let them go as part of a RIF, or round of layoffs—is a different kind of hard.

These moments test our mettle as leaders. They often expose our own shortcomings and gaps—in our skills as managers, or in our humanity.

I’m not sure I handled any of the conversations I had last week very well, to be honest. 

I tried to.

I believed I’d armed my team for months with as much “writing on the wall” as I could about what the road ahead looked like—without pulling punches.

But did I?

I spent what felt like a lot of time preparing for these conversations, but did I spend enough time? Was I truly as prepared as I could’ve been for all the “what comes next?” questions, or the explanations they deserved?

I aimed for a balanced approach, between empathy and the requirements of the company. But did that balance actually materialize? 

Or did it land as platitudes and unhelpful ramblings from a “company guy?” 

I’m not sure.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, how likely are you to recommend your manager as the person who should cut someone else in the future?”

Whoever runs a business compiling data around the quality of the layoff experience—I’d be a great customer.

Emotional labor—a term coined by sociologist Arlie Hochschild in the '80s—describes work that requires us to show up as humans, for each other, and put in the effort to truly listen, build trust, and connect.

And here’s the key: to do it even when we don’t feel up to it.

Hell—especially when we don’t feel up to it.

• A teacher managing a chaotic classroom. 

• A therapist holding space for someone’s grief. 

• A neighbor diffusing tensions at the backyard BBQ.

Your server at the restaurant, smiling through a long shift.
Your weekly one-on-ones with your team or manager.

Everywhere you look, there are moments that demand we go beyond simply operating as a person—and instead embrace the much harder task of actually being one.

The courage to do that kind of work—that’s what separates us from the machines.

And ironically, it might just be the secret sauce in this age of AI that helps us build a future we actually want to live in.

I know this is a bit of a rant. But I’ve been reflecting on my own ability to deliver and be measured in these moments. And I imagine I’ll always be reflecting.

Because leadership means embracing a mindset of “a little better tomorrow, not worse than yesterday.”

You don’t ever arrive.
You just commit to the practice of showing up.

What happened at work last week was hard. It required a lot of emotional labor on all sides. And now, some incredibly skilled, hardworking, creative, team-oriented professionals are out looking for their next gig—still hoping to grow. Still hoping to contribute.

I think they’ll ask me for help if I can be helpful. And that feels good.
I know they’ll find what they’re looking for.

That will have to be enough for right now.

~ Jaime 

P.S. If you’re looking for high-value people to join your team, and want to learn more about the folks from my team—reply to this email and we can chat. 

I’d be happy to point you toward some talented people.

P.P.S. If you know someone who may find this post helpful, please consider forwarding it to a friend.

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