A colleague recently shared that their organization had just gone through a brutal round of cuts — 50% of the workforce gone. “We’re seriously overworked,” they said, “but at least we still have jobs.” It’s a sentiment echoing across many offices, especially with the federal workforce alone seeing a reduction of over 300,000 since early 2025, according to The Washington Post.
That grateful resilience sounds admirable. But let’s be honest: Gratitude has an expiration date. When the workload doubles and relief never arrives, even the most committed employees start asking, Is this sustainable?
The Reality Leaders Need to Face
A Leadership IQ survey showed that 74% of employees retained after a layoff report decreased productivity. Not because they were disengaged, but because they are human. (Shocking!) When half the team disappears, the survivors aren’t just picking up extra tasks. They’re carrying invisible weight: guilt, anxiety and the unspoken pressure to prove they were the “right” ones to keep.
So what does leadership look like in the aftermath?
Leading Through the Downsizing Challenge
Most leaders focus on financial recovery after layoffs. But the real test comes in the weeks and months that follow — when the numbers look better, but the culture looks…tired. This is where reactive managers fall short and resilient leaders rise.
Here are three moves that make the difference:
1. Name the Elephant in the Room. Silence breeds suspicion. When leaders avoid the emotional toll, employees assume their feelings don’t matter. Acknowledge the reality. People are grieving colleagues, adjusting to uncertainty and questioning stability. Even a five-minute check-in at the start of a leadership meeting can normalize that the weight is real, not imagined.
2. Protect Your Team’s Bandwidth. When headcount drops, it’s tempting to redistribute tasks like a game of hot potato. But more isn’t better. It’s just more. Take a hard look at what can be paused, cut or automated. Adjust goals to match capacity. Protect your team’s bandwidth like it’s your bottom line because, well…it is.
3. Shift from Output to Impact. Stop measuring success by volume. Start measuring it by value. A lean team can outperform a bloated one if they’re aligned around impact. That means fewer meetings, clearer goals and faster feedback loops. Slack’s “Focus Fridays” are a great example — no meetings, just breathing room to catch up and recalibrate.
Leading after a downsizing isn’t about inspirational quotes demanding more grit. It’s about making deliberate choices that protect your team’s energy and focus. So if your team’s running on fumes, skip the pep talk and reach for a plan that restores capacity. The goal isn’t to have employees who feel lucky to be employed. It’s to build a team that feels confident in the direction you’re steering them, even in rough waters. That’s how you turn a period of contraction into a foundation for a stronger future.
Adeline (Addy) Maissonet is a senior advisor on contracting policies and procedures within the Office of the Secretary of War, U.S. Department of War (DoW) and the agency’s representative on the Department’s views on proposed legislation to Congressional members, their staff, and committee staffers. She leads the development and implementation of Department-wide procurement policies for commodities and services, within her portfolio. Prior to her current role, Addy served as a Division Chief and Contracting Officer with unlimited warrant authority for the U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) – Fort Eustis, Virginia. Prior to joining the MICC, Addy served as a Branch Head for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC), Norfolk, Virginia, with unlimited warrant authority. She also held other procurement positions with the U.S. Navy. Addy holds an MBA in Management and Contracting Level III Certification under the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act. She is a graduate from Cornell University’s Executive Leadership Certificate Program and Harvard University’s Business Analytics Certificate Program. In her free time, Addy enjoys hiking and overlanding with her family and friends.
Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of War.
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