A few days ago, I had another one of those conversations that really sticks with you.
An acquaintance—57, corporate communications. Four school-age children.
Laid off. Six months’ pay. Then: unemployed.
And the unspoken message between the lines: too old, too expensive.
And unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. I’m currently seeing three patterns:
1) The “clean break”
New executive board, new direct reports—and an entire department is replaced overnight.
Not because of performance. Because of power dynamics and trust issues.
2) The “cheap dismissal”
Rationalization—but first they try to pin it on an accusation (travel expenses).
Only when a lawyer gets involved does it turn into a leave of absence with severance pay.
Formally correct. Culturally toxic.
3) The “age filter”
Being in your mid-to-late 50s in management often means: adaptability drops rapidly—regardless of what someone can do.
What lies behind this in many companies is rarely just “transformation.” It is often:
⚠️ Cost and balance sheet logic (severance pay is calculable, loss of knowledge is not)
⚠️ Power and trust dynamics (new top management builds loyal teams)
⚠️ Risk avoidance (critical voices are seen as friction during stressful periods)
➡️ Consequence: hidden brain drain.
Implicit knowledge disappears: networks, crisis routines, stakeholder maps.
And internally, a signal emerges that everyone understands: performance does not protect you.
This erodes loyalty and lowers the quality of decision-making—especially in communication and crisis situations.
And then this often happens: Many go into self-employment—often in coaching, training, or consulting.
I don’t condemn this. On the contrary: It is often an attempt to retain dignity and effectiveness.
But: Not every former manager can automatically be a coach.
Because professional guidance is a craft: Method, process, role clarification, boundaries—not just a resume and life wisdom.
I myself come from a training background (media and leadership communication).
And through hundreds of client contexts and thousands of executives, I have developed methods that work in real-world situations—often at the intersection of training, consulting, and coaching.
My point is therefore not moral, but strategic:
Those who treat experience as a cost center will pay for it later during a crisis—only then without any discounts.
How do you view the waves of layoffs in German companies?