<H1>SQUARE PEG, ROUND HOLE </H1>

"So, where's Velma?" I asked my talented CEO friend.

"We had a career adjustment meeting with her," he answered.

"Why ever did you do that?" I asked. "She was one of your most valued, loyal and flexible employees."

"Yes, but she was in charge of purchasing and we felt we couldn't afford a purchasing manager of her caliber. The market stinks, you know."

"Yeah, I've heard those rumors. Couldn't she have performed other tasks, like being an admin?"

"The management team felt she would view it as a demotion and her attitude would suffer. Marjorie, my secretary, can do her job. It won't be done as well, but it doesn't need to be. The overall cost will be lower."

What's wrong with this picture?

Due to the present annoying market conditions, businesses all over the world are letting people go because of job descriptions, titles or long-established habits. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.

If you have a good person, save them at all costs. Good people can always be re-tasked (to use a noun as a verb), retrained and repositioned. Good people are the only management asset you have that is capable of appreciation. Your desks won't be worth more next year, nor will your file cabinets. Only your people will be worth more then than now. Don't let them go without a fight.

Conversely, trying times are excellent for getting rid of dead wood. Rather than lose two good people, lose three bad ones and distribute the work over those you have left.